TREASURE  ISLAND 

BY 
ROBERT  LOUIS  STEVENSON 


Illustrated     \ 


N.C.WYETH 


N  EW 
CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S    SONS 

M   •     C     •    M    •    X     •     I 


Copyright,  1911,  by 
CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S   SONS 

Published  September,  1911 


4042 


A\ 


TO 
LLOYD   OSBOURNE, 

AN    AMERICAN    GENTLEMAN, 

IN    ACCORDANCE   WITH    WHOSE    CLASSIC    TASTE 

THE    FOLLOWING    NARRATIVE    HAS    BEEN    DESIGNED, 

IT   IS   NOW,    IN    RETURN    FOR    NUMEROUS    DELIGHTFUL    HOURS, 

AND    WITH    THE    KINDEST    WISHES, 

DefcicatcD 

BY    HIS    AFFECTIONATE    FRIEND, 
THE    AUTHOR 


0  \  0 


TO  THE  HESITATING  PURCHASER 

IF  sailor  tales  to  sailor  tunes, 

Storm  and  adventure,  heat  and  cold, 
If  schooners,  islands,  and  maroons 

And  Buccaneers  and  buried  Gold, 
And  all  the  old  romance,  retold 

Exactly  in  the  ancient  way, 
Can  please,  as  me  they  pleased  of  old, 

The  wiser  youngsters  of  to-day: 

— So  be  it,  and  fall  on!     If  not, 

If  studious  youth  no  longer  crave, 
His  ancient  appetites  forgot, 

Kingston,  or  Ballantyne  the  brave, 
Or  Cooper  of  the  wood  and  wave: 

So  be  it,  also!    And  may  I 
And  all  my  pirates  share  the  grave 

Where  these  and  their  creations  lie! 


rviii 


CONTENTS 


PART  I 
THE  OLD   BUCCANEER 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.     THE  OLD  SEA  DOG  AT  THE  "ADMIRAL  BENBOW"    .     .  3 

II.     BLACK  DOG  APPEARS  AND  DISAPPEARS 11 

III.  THE  BLACK  SPOT 19 

IV.  THE  SEA-CHEST 27 

V.     THE  LAST  OF  THE  BLIND  MAN 35 

VI.     THE  CAPTAIN'S  PAPERS  .  42 


PART  II 
THE  SEA  COOK 

VII.    I  GO  TO  BRISTOL 53 

VIII.     AT  THE  SIGN  OF  THE  SPY-GLASS 59 

IX.     POWDER  AND  ARMS ....  66 

X.    THE  VOYAGE 73 

XI.     WHAT  I  HEARD  IN  THE  APPLE  BARREL 80 

XII.     COUNCIL  OF  WAR 88 


CONTENTS 


PART  III 
MY  SHORE  ADVENTURE 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XIII.  How  MY  SHORE  ADVENTURE  BEGAN 97 

XIV.  THE  FIRST  BLOW 104 

XV.    THE  MAN  OF  THE  ISLAND Ill 

PART  IV 
THE  STOCKADE 

XVI.     NARRATIVE  CONTINUED  BY  THE  DOCTOR:    How  THE 

SHIP  WAS  ABANDONED  .     .     . 23 

XVII.     NARRATIVE  CONTINUED  BY  THE  DOCTOR:   THE  JOLLY- 
BOAT'S  LAST  TRIP 130 

XVIII.     NARRATIVE  CONTINUED  BY  THE  DOCTOR:   END  OF  THE 

FIRST  DAY'S  FIGHTING 136 

XIX.     NARRATIVE  RESUMED  BY  JIM  HAWKINS:  THE  GARRISON 

IN  THE  STOCKADE 142 

XX.     SILVER'S  EMBASSY 150 

XXI.    THE  ATTACK  157 


PART  V 
MY  SEA  ADVENTURE 

XXII.     How  MY  SEA  ADVENTURE  BEGAN     . 167 

XXIII.  THE  EBB-TIDE  RUNS 175 

XXIV.  THE  CRUISE  OF  THE  CORACLE 181 

XXV.     I  STRIKE  THE  JOLLY  ROGER 188 

XXVI.     ISRAEL  HANDS 195 

XXVII.     "PIECES  OF  EIGHT" 205 


CONTENTS 

PART  VI 
CAPTAIN  SILVER 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXVIII.     IN  THE  ENEMY'S  CAMP 215 

XXIX.     THE  BLACK  SPOT  AGAIN 225 

XXX.     ON  PAROLE 233 

XXXI.     THE  TREASURE  HUNT— FLINT'S  POINTER      ....  242 

XXXII.     THE  TREASURE  HUNT— THE  VOICE  AMONG  THE  TREES  251 

XXXIII.  THE  FALL  OF  A  CHIEFTAIN 259 

XXXIV.  AND  LAST  267 


[xi] 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


FACING 
PAGE 


CAPTAIN  BILL  BONES 4 

All  day  he  hung  round  the  cove,  or  upon  the  cliffs,  with 
a  brass  telescope 


CAPTAIN  BONES  ROUTS  BLACK  DOG 16 

One  last  tremendous  cut  which  would  certainly  have  split 
him  to  the  chin  had  it  not  been  intercepted  by  our  big 
signboard  of  Admiral  Benbow 


OLD  PEW 38 

Tapping  up  and  down  the  road  in  a  frenzy,  and  groping 
and  calling  for  his  comrades 

JIM  HAWKINS  LEAVES  HOME 58 

I  said  good-bye  to  mother  and  the  cove 

LONG  JOHN  SILVER  AND  HAWKINS 76 

To  me  he  was  unweariedly  kind;  and  always  glad  to  see 
me  in  the  galley 

PREPARING  FOR  THE  MUTINY 102 

Loaded  pistols  were  served  out  to  all  the  sure  men 


BEN  GUNN        112 

I  saw  a  figure  leap  with  great  rapidity  behind  the 
trunk  of  a  pine 

[Xiii] 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING 
PAGE 

CAPTAIN  SMOLLET  DEFIES  THE  MUTINEERS 138 

Then,  climbing  on  the  roof,  he  had  with  his  own  hand 
bent  and  run  up  the  colors 

THE  ATTACK  ON  THE  BLOCK  HOUSE 162 

The  boarders  swarmed  over  the  fence  like  monkeys 

THE  FIGHT  IN  THE  CABIN 178 

It  showed  me  Hands  and  his  companion  locked  together 
in  deadly  wrestle 


ISRAEL  HANDS        204 

"  One  more  step,  Mr.  Hands,"  said  I,  "and  I'll  blow 
your  brains  out " 


THE  BLACK  SPOT 226 

About  half  way  down  the  slope  to  the  stockade,  they 
were  collected  in  a  group 

THE  HOSTAGE        244 

For  all  the  world,  I  was  led  like  a  dancing  bear 

THE  TREASURE  CAVE! 268 

I  was  kept  busy  all  day  in  the  cave,  packing  the 
minted  money  into  bread-bags 


[xiv] 


PART  I 
THE  OLD  BUCCANEER 


CHAPTER  I 

gra*s^^ 

THE  OLD  SEA  DOG  AT  THE 
"ADMIRAL  BENBOW" 

SQUIRE  TRELAWNEY,  Dr.  Livesey,  and  the  rest  of 
these  gentlemen  having  asked  me  to  write  down  the 
whole  particulars  about  Treasure  Island,  from  the 
beginning  to  the  end,  keeping  nothing  back  but  the  bearings 
of  the  island,  and  that  only  because  there  is  still  treasure 
not  yet  lifted,  I  take  up  my  pen  in  the  year  of  grace  17 — ,  and 
go  back  to  the  time  when  my  father  kept  the  "Admiral  Ben- 
bow"  inn,  and  the  brown  old  seaman,  with  the  sabre  cut,  first 
took  up  his  lodging  under  our  roof. 

I  remember  him  as  if  it  were  yesterday,  as  he  came  plod- 
ding to  the  inn  door,  his  sea-chest  following  behind  him  in  a 
hand-barrow ;  a  tall,  strong,  heavy,  nut-brown  man ;  his  tarry 
pigtail  falling  over  the  shoulders  of  his  soiled  blue  coat;  his 
hands  ragged  ^^  «"* — ed,  with  black,  broken  nails;  and  the 
sabre  cut  acr<  s  3ek,  a  dirty,  livid  white.  I  remember 

him  looking  cove  and  whistling  to  himself  as  he 

did  so,  and  t  ing  out  in  that  old  sea-song  that  he 

sang  so  often  ;: 

i  on  the  dead  man's  chest — 
,  and  a  bottle  of  rum!" 

[3] 


TREASURE   ISLAND 

in  the  high,  old  tottering  voice  that  seemed  to  have  been 
tuned  and  broken  at  the  capstan  bars.  Then  he  rapped  on 
the  door  with  a  bit  of  stick  like  a  handspike  that  he  carried, 
and  when  my  father  appeared,  called  roughly  for  a  glass  of 
rum.  This,  when  it  was  brought  to  him,  he  drank  slowly, 
like  a  connoisseur,  lingering  on^  the  Jaste,  and  still  looking 
about  him  at  the  cliffs  and  up  at  our  signboard. 

"This  is  a  handy  cove,"  says  he,  at  length;  "and  a  pleasant 
sittyated  grog-shop.  Much  company,  mate?" 

My  father  told  him  no,  very  little  company,  the  more  was 
the  pity. 

"Well,  then,"  said  he,  "this  is  the  berth  for  me.  Here 
you,  matey,"  he  cried  to  the  man  who  trundled  the  barrow; 
"bring  up  alongside  and  help  up  my  chest.  I'll  stay  here  a 
bit,"  he  continued.  "I'm  a  plain  man;  rum  and  bacon  and 
eggs  is  what  I  want,  and  that  head  up  there  for  to  watch 
ships  off.  What  you  mought  call  me  ?  You  mought  call  me 
captain.  Oh,  I  see  what  you  're  at  —  there;"  and  he  threw 
down  three  or  four  gold  pieces  on  the  threshold.  "You  can 
tell  me  when  I  've  worked  through  that,"  says  he,  looking  as 
fierce  as  a  commander. 

And,  indeed,  bad  as  his  clothes  were,  and  coarsely  as  he 
spoke,  he  had  none  of  the  appearance  of  a  man  who  sailed 
before  the  mast;  but  seemed  like  a  mate  or  skipper,  accus- 
tomed to  be  obeyed  or  to  strike.  The  man  who  came  with 
the  barrow  told  us  the  mail  had  set  him  down  the  morning 
before  at  the  "Royal  George";  that  he  had  inquired  what 
inns  there  were  along  the  coast,  and  hearing  ours  well  spoken 
of,  I  suppose,  and  described  as  lonely,  had  chosen  it  from 

[41 


I 


.[spike  that  I,. 
u  called  roughly  for  a  gta 
was  brought  to  him,  he  drank  s? 

ing  on  the  taste,  and  sti> 
*t  the  cliffs  and  up  at  our  signboard. 

handy  cove,"  says  he,  at  length;  "and  a  pit- 
d  grog-shop.     Much  company,  mate?" 
father  told  him  no,  very  little  company,  the 


then,"  said  he,  "this  is  the  berth  for 
yoi>  he  cried  to  the  man  who  trundled  the  bft; 

4p  alongside  liest.     I'll  st 

All  day  he  hung  round  the  cove,  or  upon  the  cliffs, 
with  a  brass  telescope 

'hat  I  want,  and  f<ere  for 

'   '       :. 
,-, 


as  a  commander. 

And,  indeed,  bad  as  ere,  a 

he  had  none  of  the  appearai 
the  mast;   but  seemed  HI 
1  or  to  strike 
the  mail 


THE  OLD  SEA  DOG  AT  THE  "ADMIRAL  BENBOW" 

the  others  for  his  place  of  residence.     And  that  was  all  we 
could  learn  of  our  guest. 

He  was  a  very  silent  man  by  custom.  All  day  he  hung 
round  the  cove,  or  upon  the  cliffs,  with  a  brass  tejescnpp; 
all  evening  he  sat  in  a  corner  of  the  parlour  next  the  fire, 
and  drank  rum  and  water  very  strong.  Mostly  he  would 
not  speak  when  spoken  to;  only  look  up  sudden  and  fierce, 
and  blow  through  his  nose  like  a  fog-horn;  and  we  and  the 
people  who  came  about  our  house  soon  learned  to  let  him  be. 
Every  day,  when  he  came  back  from  his  stroll,  he  would  ask 
if  any  seafaring  men  had  gone  by  along  the  road  ?  At  first 
we  thought  it  was  the  want  of  company  of  his  own  kind  that 
made  him  ask  this  question;  but  at  last  we  began  to  see  he 
was  desirous  to  avoid  them.  When  a  seaman  put  up  at  the 
"Admiral  Benbow"  (as  now  and  then  some  did,  making 
by  the  coast  road  for  Bristol) ,  he  would  look  in  at  him  through 
the  curtained  door  before  he  entered  the  parlour;  and  he 
was  always  sure  to  be  as  silent  as  a  mouse  when  any  such 
was  present.  For  me,  at  least,  there  was  no  secret  about 
the  matter;  for  I  was,  in  a  way,  a  sharer  in  his  alarms.  He 
had  taken  me  aside  one  day,  and  promised  me  a  silver  four- 
penny  on  the  first  of  every  month  if  I  would  only  keep  my 
"weather-eye  open  for  a  seafaring  man  with  one  leg,"  and 
let  him  know  the  moment  he  appeared.  Often  enough,  when 
the  first  of  the  month  came  round,  and  I  applied  to  him  for 
my  wage,  he  would  only  blow  through  his  nose  at  me,  and 
stare  me  down;  but  before  the  week  was  out  he  was  sure 
to  think  better  of  it,  bring  me  my  fourpenny  piece,  and  repeat 
his  orders  to  look  out  for  "the  seafaring  man  with  one  leg." 

[5] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

How  that  personage  haunted  my  dreams,  I  need  scarcely 
tell  you.  On  stormy  nights,  when  the  wind  shook  the  four 
corners  of  the  house,  and  the  surf  roared  along  the  cove 
and  up  the  cliffs,  I  would  see  him  in  a  thousand  forms,  and 
with  a  thousand  diabolical  expressions.  Now  the  leg  would 
be  cut  off  at  the  knee,  now  at  the  hip;  now  he  was  a  mon- 
strous kind  of  a  creature  who  had  never  had  but  the  one  leg, 
and  that  in  the  middle  of  his  body.  To  see  him  leap  and 
run  and  pursue  me  over  hedge  and  ditch  was  the  worst  of 
nightmares.  And  altogether  I  paid  pretty  dear  for  my  monthly 
fourpenny  piece,  in  the  shape  of  these  abominable  fancies. 

But  though  I  was  so  terrified  by  the  idea  of  the  seafaring 
man  with  one  leg,  I  was  far  less  afraid  of  the  captain  himself 
than  anybody  else  who  knew  him.  There  were  nights  when 
he  took  a  deal  more  rum  and  water  than  his  head  would 
carry;  and  then  he  would  sometimes  sit  and  sing  his  wicked, 
old,  wild  sea-songs,  minding  nobody;  but  sometimes  he 
would  call  for  glasses  round,  and  force  all  the  trembling  com- 
pany to  listen  to  his  stories  or  bear  a  chorus  to  his  singing. 
Often  I  have  heard  the  house  shaking  with  "Yo-ho-ho,  and 
a  bottle  of  rum";  all  the  neighbours  joining  in  for  dear  life, 
with  the  fear  of  death  upon  them,  and  each  singing  louder 
than  the  other,  to  avoid  remark.  For  in  these  fits  he  was 
the  most  overriding  companion  ever  known;  he  would  slap 
his  hand  on  the  table  for  silence  all  round;  he  would  fly  up 
in  a  passion  of  anger  at  a  question,  or  sometimes  because 
none  was  put,  and  so  he  judged  the  company  was  not  following 
his  story.  Nor  would  he  allow  any  one  to  leave  the  inn  till 
he  had  drunk  himself  sleepy  and  reeled  off  to  bed. 

'    [6] 


THE  OLD  SEA  DOG  AT  THE  "ADMIRAL  BENBOW" 

rV  £.  •& 

A  His  stories  were  what  frightened  people  worst  of  all. 
Dreadful  stories  they  were;  about  hanging,  and  "walking  the 
plank,  and^storms  at  sea,  and  the  Dry  Tortugas,  and  wild 
yaeeds  and  places  on  the  Spanish  Main.  By  his  own  account 
he  must  have  lived  his  life  among  some  of  the  wickedest 
men  that  God  ever  allowed  upon  the  sea;  and  the  language 
in  which  he  told  these  stories  shocked  our  plain  country 
people  almost  as  much  as  the  crimes  that  he  described.  My 
father  was  always  saying  the  inn  would  be  ruined,  for  people 
would  soon  cease  coming  there  to  be  tyrannised,  over  and  put 
down,  and  sent  shivering  to  their  beds ;  but  I  really  believe  his 
presence  did  us  good.  People  were  frightened  at  the  time,  but 
on  looking  back  they  rather  liked  it;  it  was  a  fine  excitement  in 
a  quiet  country  life;  and  there  was  even  a  party  of  the  younger 
men  who  pretended  to  admire  him,  calling  him  a  "true  sea-dog," 
and  a  "real  old  salt,"  and  such  like  names,  and  saying  there 
was  the  sort  of  man  that  made  England  terrible  at  sea. 

In  one  way,  indeed,  he  bade  fair  to  ruin  us;  for  he  kept 
on  staying  week  after  week,  and  at  last  month  after  month, 
so  that  all  the  money  had  been  long  exhausted,  and  still 
my  father  never  plucked  up  the  heart  to  insist  on  having 
more.  If  ever  he  mentioned  it,  the  captain  blew  through 
his  nose  so  loudly,  that  you  might  say  he  roared,  and  stared 
my  poor  father  out  of  the  room.  I  have  seen  him  wringing 
his  hands  after  such  a  rebuff,  and  I  am  sure  the  annoyance 
and  the  terror  he  lived  in  must  have  greatly  hastened  his 
early  and  unhappy  death. 

All  the  time  he  lived  with  us  the  captain  made  no  change 
whatever  in  his  dress  but  to  buy  some  stockings  from  a  hawker. 

[7] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

One  of  the  cocks  of  his  hat  having  fallen  down,  he  let  it  hang 
from  that  day  forth,  though  it  was  a  great  annoyance  when 
it  blew.  I  remember  the  appearance  of  his  coat,  which  he 
patched  himself  up-stairs  in  his  room,  and  which,  before  the 
end,  was  nothing  but  patches.  He  never  wrote  or  received 
a  letter,  and  he  never  spoke  with  any  but  the  neighbours, 
and  with  these,  for  the  most  part,  only  when  drunk  on  rum. 
The  great  sea-chest  none  of  us  had  ever  seen  open. 

He  was  only  once  crossed,  and  that  was  towards  the  end, 
when  my  poor  father  was  far  gone  in  a  decline  that  took 
him  off.  Dr.  Livesey  came  late  one  afternoon  to  see  the 
patient,  took  a  bit  of  dinner  from  my  mother,  and  went  into 
the  parlour  to  smoke  a  pipe  until  his  horse  should  come 
down  from  the  hamlet,  for  we  had  no  stabling  at  the  old 
"Benbow."  I  followed  him  in,  and  I  remember  observing 
the  contrast  the  neat,  bright  doctor,  with  his  powder  as  white 
as  snow,  and  his  bright,  black  eyes  and  pleasant  manners, 
made  with  the  coltish  country  folk,  and  above  all,  with  that 
filthy,  heavy,  bleared  scarecrow  of  a  pirate  of  ours,  sitting 
far  gone  in  rum,  with  his  arms  on  the  table.  Suddenly  he 
—  the  captain,  that  is  —  began  to  pipe  up  his  eternal  song: 

"  Fifteen  men  on  the  dead  man's  chest  — 

Yo-ho-ho,  and  a  bottle  of  rum! 
Drink  and  the  devil  had  done  for  the  rest  — 
Yo-ho-ho,  and  a  bottle  of  rum!" 

At  first  I  had  supposed  "the  dead  man's  chest"  to  be  that 
identical  big  box  of  his  up-stairs  in  the  front  room,  and  the 
thought  had  been  mingled  in  my  nightmares  with  that  of 
the  one-legged  seafaring  man.  But  by  this  time  we  had  all 

[8] 


THE  OLD  SEA  DOG  AT  THE  "ADMIRAL  BENBOW" 

long  ceased  to  pay  any  particular  notice  to  the  song;  it  was 
new,  that  night,  to  nobody  but  Dr.  Livesey,  and  on  him  I 
observed  it  did  not  produce  an  agreeable  effect,  for  he  looked 
up  for  a  moment  quite  angrily  before  he  went  on  with  his 
talk  to  old  Taylor,  the  gardener,  on  a  new  cure  for  the  rheu- 
matics. In  the  meantime,  the  captain  gradually  brightened 
up  at  his  own  music,  and  at  last  flapped  his  hand  upon  the 
table  before  him  in  a  way  we  all  knew  to  mean  —  silence. 
The  voices  stopped  at  once,  all  but  Dr.  Livesey's ;  he  went  on 
as  before,  speaking  clear  and  kind,  and  drawing  briskly  at 
his  pipe  between  every  word  or  two.  The  captain  glared 
at  him  for  awhile,  flapped  his  hand  again,  glared  still  harder, 
and  at  last  broke  out  with  a  villainous,  low  oath:  "Silence 
there,  between  decks!" 

"Were  you  addressing  me,  sir?"  says  the  doctor;  and 
when  the  ruffian  had  told  him,  with  another  oath,  that  this 
was  so,  "I  have  only  one  thing  to  say  to  you,  sir,"  replies 
the  doctor,  "that  if  you  keep  on  drinking  rum,  the  world  will 
soon  be  quit  of  a  very  dirty  scoundrel!" 

The  old  fellow's  fury  was  awful.  He  sprang  to  his  feet, 
drew  and  opened  a  sailor's  clasp-knife,  and,  balancing  it 
open  on  the  palm  of  his  hand,  threatened  to  pin  the  doctor 
to  the  wall. 

The  doctor  never  so  much  as  moved.  He  spoke  to  him, 
as  before,  over  his  shoulder,  and  in  the  same  tone  of  voice; 
rather  high,  so  that  all  the  room  might  hear,  but  perfectly 
calm  and  steady: 

"If  you  do  not  put  that  knife  this  instant  in  your  pocket, 
I  promise,  upon  my  honour,  you  shall  hang  at  the  next  assizes." 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

Then  followed  a  battle  of  looks  between  them;  but  the 
captain  soon  knuckled  under,  put  up  his  weapon,  and  re- 
sumed his  seat,  grumbling  like  a  beaten  dog. 

"And  now,  sir,"  continued  the  doctor,  "since  I  now 
know  there  's  such  a  fellow  in  my  district,  you  may  count 
I  '11  have  an  eye  upon  you  day  and  night.  I  'm  not  a  doctor 
only;  I  'm  a  magistrate;  and  if  I  catch  a  breath  of  complaint 
against  you,  if  it 's  only  for  a  piece  of  incivility  like  to-night's, 
I  '11  take  effectual  means  to  have  you  hunted  down  and  routed 
out  of  this.  Let  that  suffice." 

Soon  after  Dr.  Livesey's  horse  came  to  the  door,  and  he 
rode  away;  but  the  captain  held  his  peace  that  evening, 
and  for  many  evenings  to  come. 


[10] 


CHAPTER  II 
BLACK  DOG  APPEARS  AND  DISAPPEARS 

IT  was  not  very  long  after  this  that  there  occurred  the  first 
of  the  mysterious  events  that  rid  us  at  last  of  the  cap- 
tain, though  not,  as  you  will  see,  of  his  affairs.  It  was 
a  bitter  cold  winter,  with  long,  hard  frosts  and  heavy  gales; 
and  it  was  plain  from  the  first  that  my  poor  father  was  little 
likely  to  see  the  spring.  He  sank  daily,  and  my  mother  and  I 
had  all  the  inn  upon  our  hands;  and  were  kept  busy  enough, 
without  paying  much  regard  to  our  unpleasant  guest. 

It  was  one  January  morning,  very  early  —  a  pinching,  frosty 
morning  —  the  cove  all  grey  with  hoar-frost,  the  ripple  lapping 
softly  on  the  stones,  the  sun  still  low  and  only  touching  the 
hilltops  and  shining  far  to  seaward.  The  captain  had  risen 
earlier  than  usual,  and  set  out  down  the  beach,  his  cutlass 
swinging  under  the  broad  skirts  of  the  old  blue  coat,  his  brass 
telescope  under  his  arm,  his  hat  tilted  back  upon  his  head.  I 
remember  his  breath  hanging  like  smoke  in  his  wake  as  he 
strode  off,  and  the  last  sound  I  heard  of  him,  as  he  turned  the 
big  rock,  was  a  loud  snort  of  indignation,  as  though  his  mind 
was  still  running  upon  Dr.  Livesey. 

Well,  mother  was  up-stairs  with  father;  and  I  was  laying 
the  breakfast-table  against  the  captain's  return,  when  the  par- 
lour door  opened,  and  a  man  stepped  in  on  whom  I  had  never 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

set  my  eyes  before.  He  was  a  pale,  tallowy  creature,  wanting 
two  fingers  of  the  left  hand;  and,  though  he  wore  a  cutlass, 
he  did  not  look  much  like  a  fighter.  I  had  always  my  eye 
open  for  seafaring  men,  with  one  leg  or  two,  and  I  remember 
this  one  puzzled  me.  He  was  not  sailorly,  and  yet  he  had  a 
smack  of  the  sea  about  him  too. 

I  asked  him  what  was  for  his  service,  and  he  said  he  would 
take  rum;  but  as  I  was  going  out  of  the  room  to  fetch  it  he 
sat  down  upon  a  table,  and  motioned  me  to  draw  near.  I 
paused  where  I  was,  with  my  napkin  in  my  hand. 

"Come  here,  sonny,"  says  he.     "Come  nearer  here." 

I  took  a  step  nearer. 

"Is  this  here  table  for  my  mate  Bill?"  he  asked,  with  a 
kind  of  leer. 

I  told  him  I  did  not  know  his  mate  Bill;  and  this  was  for 
a  person  who  stayed  in  our  house,  whom  we  called  the  captain. 

"Well,"  said  he,  "my  mate  Bill  would  be  called  the 
captain,  as  like  as  not.  He  has  a  cut  on  one  cheek,  and  a 
mighty  pleasant  way  with  him,  particularly  in  drink,  has  my 
mate  Bill.  We  '11  put  it,  for  argument  like,  that  your  captain 
has  a  cut  on  one  cheek  —  and  we  '11  put  it,  if  you  like,  that 
that  cheek  's  the  right  one.  Ah,  well !  I  told  you.  Now,  is  my 
mate  Bill  in  this  here  house?" 

I  told  him  he  was  out  walking. 

"  Which  way,  sonny  ?     Which  way  is  he  gone  ?" 

And  when  I  had  pointed  out  the  rock  and  told  him  how 
the  captain  was  likely  to  return,  and  how  soon,  and  answered 
a  few  other  questions,  "Ah,"  said  he,  "this  '11  be  as  good  as 
drink  to  my  mate  Bill." 


BLACK  DOG  APPEARS  AND   DISAPPEARS 

The  expression  of  his  face  as  he  said  these  words  was  not 
at  all  pleasant,  and  I  had  my  own  reasons  for  thinking  that 
the  stranger  was  mistaken,  even  supposing  he  meant  what  he 
said.  But  it  was  no  affair  of  mine,  I  thought;  and,  besides, 
it  was  difficult  to  know  what  to  do.  The  stranger  kept  hang- 
ing about  just  inside  the  inn  door,  peering  round  the  corner 
like  a  cat  waiting  for  a  mouse.  Once  I  stepped  out  myself 
into  the  road,  but  he  immediately  called  me  back,  and,  as  I 
did  not  obey  quick  enough  for  his  fancy,  a  most  horrible 
change  came  over  his  tallowy  face,  and  he  ordered  me  in, 
with  an  oath  that  made  me  jump.  As  soon  as  I  was  back 
again  he  returned  to  his  former  manner,  half  fawning,  half 
sneering,  patted  me  on  the  shoulder,  told  me  I  was  a  good 
boy,  and  he  had  taken  quite  a  fancy  to  me.  "I  have  a  son 
of  my  own,"  he  said,  "as  like  you  as  two  blocks,  and  he  's  all 
the  pride  of  my  'art.  But  the  great  thing  for  boys  is  discipline, 
sonny  —  discipline.  Now,  if  you  had  sailed  along  of  Bill,  you 
wouldn't  have  stood  there  to  be  spoke  to  twice  —  not  you. 
That  was  never  Bill's  way,  nor  the  way  of  sich  as  sailed  with 
him.  And  here,  sure  enough,  is  my  mate  Bill,  with  a  spy- 
glass under  his  arm,  bless  his  old  'art,  to  be  sure.  You  and 
me  '11  just  go  back  into  the  parlour,  sonny,  and  get  behind 
the  door,  and  we  '11  give  Bill  a  little  surprise  —  bless  his  'art 
I  say  again." 

So  saying,  the  stranger  backed  along  with  me  into  the 
parlour,  and  put  me  behind  him  in  the  corner,  so  that  we 
were  both  hidden  by  the  open  door.  I  was  very  uneasy  and 
alarmed,  as  you  may  fancy,  and  it  rather  added  to  my  fears 
to  observe  that  the  stranger  was  certainly  frightened  himself. 

[13] 

4 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

He  cleared  the  hilt  of  his  cutlass  and  loosened  the  blade  in  the 
sheath;  and  all  the  time  we  were  waiting  there  he  kept  swal- 
lowing as  if  he  felt  what  we  used  to  call  a  lump  in  the  throat. 

At  last  in  strode  the  captain,  slammed  the  door  behind 
him,  without  looking  to  the  right  or  left,  and  marched  straight 
across  the  room  to  where  his  breakfast  awaited  him. 

"Bill,"  said  the  stranger,  in  a  voice  that  I  thought  he  had 
tried  to  make  bold  and  big. 

The  captain  spun  round  on  his  heel  and  fronted  us;  all 
the  brown  had  gone  out  of  his  face,  and  even  his  nose  was 
blue;  he  had  the  look  of  a  man  who  sees  a  ghost,  or  the  evil 
one,  or  something  worse,  if  anything  can  be;  and,  upon  my 
word,  I  felt  sorry  to  see  him,  all  in  a  moment,  turn  so  old 
and  sick. 

"Come,  Bill,  you  know  me;  you  know  an  old  shipmate, 
Bill,  surely,"  said  the  stranger. 

The  captain  made  a  sort  of  gasp. 

"Black  Dog!"  said  he. 

"And  who  else?"  returned  the  other,  getting  more  at  his 
ease.  "Black  Dog  as  ever  was,  come  for  to  see  his  old  ship- 
mate Billy,  at  the  'Admiral  Benbow'  inn.  Ah,  Bill,  Bill,  we 
have  seen  a  sight  of  times,  us  two,  since  I  lost  them  two 
talons,"  holding  up  his  mutilated  hand. 

"Now,  look  here,"  said  the  captain;  "you  've  run  me 
down;  here  I  am;  well,  then,  speak  up:  what  is  it?" 

"That 's  you,  Bill,"  returned  Black  Dog,  "you  're  in  the 
right  of  it,  Billy.  I  '11  have  a  glass  of  rum  from  this  dear 
child  here,  as  I  've  took  such  a  liking  to;  and  we  '11  sit  down, 
if  you  please,  and  talk  square,  like  old  shipmates." 

[14] 


BLACK  DOG  APPEARS  AND  DISAPPEARS 

When  I  returned  with  the  rum,  they  were  already  seated 
on  either  side  of  the  captain's  breakfast-table  —  Black  Dog 
next  to  the  door,  and  sitting  sideways,  so  as  to  have  one  eye 
on  his  old  shipmate,  and  one,  as  I  thought,  on  his  retreat. 

He  bade  me  go  and  leave  the  door  wide  open.  "None  of 
your  keyholes  for  me,  sonny,"  he  said;  and  I  left  them  to- 
gether, and  retired  into  the  bar. 

For  a  long  time,  though  I  certainly  did  my  best  to  listen, 
I  could  hear  nothing  but  a  low  gabbling;  but  at  last  the  voices 
began  to  grow  higher,  and  I  could  pick  up  a  word  or  two, 
mostly  oaths,  from  the  captain. 

"No,  no,  no,  no;  and  an  end  of  it!"  he  cried  once.  And 
again,  "If  it  comes  to  swinging,  swing  all,  say  I." 

Then  all  of  a  sudden  there  was  a  tremendous  explosion  of 
oaths  and  other  noises  —  the  chair  and  table  went  over  in  a 
lump,  a  clash  of  steel  followed,  and  then  a  cry  of  pain,  and  the 
next  instant  I  saw  Black  Dog  in  full  flight,  and  the  captain 
hotly  pursuing,  both  with  drawn  cutlasses,  and  the  former 
streaming  blood  from  the  left  shoulder.  Just  at  the  door,  the 
captain  aimed  at  the  fugitive  one  last  tremendous  cut,  which 
would  certainly  have  split  him  to  the  chine  had  it  not  been 
intercepted  by  our  big  signboard  of  Admiral  Benbow.  You 
may  see  the  notch  on  the  lower  side  of  the  frame  to  this 
day. 

That  blow  was  the  last  of  the  battle.  Once  out  upon  the 
road,  Black  Dog,  in  spite  of  his  wound,  showed  a  wonderful 
clean  pair  of  heels,  and  disappeared  over  the  edge  of  the  hill 
in  half  a  minute.  The  captain,  for  his  part,  stood  staring  at 
the  signboard  like  a  bewildered  man.  Then  he  passed  his 

[15] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

hand  over  his  eyes  several  times,  and  at  last  turned  back  into 
the  house. 

"Jim,"  says  he,  "rum;"  and  as  he  spoke,  he  reeled  a 
little,  and  caught  himself  with  one  hand  against  the  wall. 

"Are  you  hurt?"  cried  I. 

"Rum,"  he  repeated.  "I  must  get  away  from  here. 
Rum!  rum!" 

I  ran  to  fetch  it;  but  I  was  quite  unsteadied  by  all  that 
had  fallen  out,  and  I  broke  one  glass  and  fouled  the  tap, 
and  while  I  was  still  getting  in  my  own  way,  I  heard  a  loud 
fall  in  the  parlour,  and,  running  in,  beheld  the  captain  lying 
full  length  upon  the  floor.  At  the  same  instant  my  mother, 
alarmed  by  the  cries  and  fighting,  came  running  down-stairs 
to  help  me.  Between  us  we  raised  his  head.  He  was  breath- 
ing very  loud  and  hard;  but  his  eyes  were  closed,  and  his 
face  a  horrible  colour. 

"Dear,  deary  me,"  cried  my  mother,  "what  a  disgrace 
upon  the  house!  And  your  poor  father  sick!" 

In  the  meantime,  we  had  no  idea  what  to  do  to  help  the 
captain,  nor  any  other  thought  but  that  he  had  got  his  death- 
hurt  in  the  scuffle  with  the  stranger.  I  got  the  rum,  to  be 
sure,  and  tried  to  put  it  down  his  throat;  but  his  teeth  were 
tightly  shut,  and  his  jaws  as  strong  as  iron.  It  was  a  happy 
relief  for  us  when  the  door  opened  and  Dr.  Livesey  came  in, 
on  his  visit  to  my  father. 

"Oh,  doctor,"  we  cried,  "what  shall  we  do  ?  Where  is  he 
wounded?" 

"Wounded?  A  fiddle-stick's  end!"  said  the  doctor. 
"No  more  wounded  than  you  or  I.  The  man  has  had  a 

[16] 


lust  tremendous  cut  which  would  certainly  have  split  him  t< 
tin'  rliin  had  it  not  beta  intercepted  by  our  big 
signboard  of  Admiral  Kcnboir 


to  to 


BLACK  DOG  APPEARS  AND  DISAPPEARS 

stroke,  as  I  warned  him.  Now,  Mrs.  Hawkins,  just  you  run 
up-stairs  to  your  husband,  and  tell  him,  if  possible,  nothing 
about  it.  For  my  part,  I  must  do  my  best  to  save  this  fel- 
low's trebly  worthless  life;  and,  Jim,  you  get  me  a  basin." 

When  I  got  back  with  the  basin,  the  doctor  had  already 
ripped  up  the  captain's  sleeve,  and  exposed  his  great  sinewy 
arm.  It  was  tattooed  in  several  places.  "Here's  luck,"  "A 
fair  wind,"  and  "Billy  Bones  his  fancy,"  were  very  neatly  and 
clearly  executed  on  the  forearm;  and  up  near  the  shoulder 
there  was  a  sketch  of  a  gallows  and  a  man  hanging  from  it — 
done,  as  I  thought,  with  great  spirit. 

"Prophetic,"  said  the  doctor,  touching  this  picture  with 
his  finger.  "And  now,  Master  Billy  Bones,  if  that  be  your 
name,  we  '11  have  a  look  at  the  colour  of  your  blood.  Jim," 
he  said,  "are  you  afraid  of  blood  ?" 

"No,  sir,"  said  I. 

"Well,  then,"  said  he,  "you  hold  the  basin;"  and  with 
that  he  took  his  lancet  and  opened  a  vein. 

A  great  deal  of  blood  was  taken  before  the  captain  opened 
his  eyes  and  looked  mistily  about  him.  First  he  recognised 
the  doctor  with  an  umistakable  frown;  then  his  glance  fell 
upon  me,  and  he  looked  relieved.  But  suddenly  his  colour 
changed,  and  he  tried  to  raise  himself,  crying: 

"Where's  Black  Dog?" 

"There  is  no  Black  Dog  here,"  said  the  doctor,  "except 
what  you  have  on  your  own  back.  You  have  been  drinking 
rum;  you  have  had  a  stroke,  precisely  as  I  told  you;  and  I 
have  just,  very  much  against  my  own  will,  dragged  you  head- 
foremost out  of  the  grave.  Now,  Mr.  Bones " 

[17] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

"That 's  not  my  name,"  he  interrupted. 

"Much  I  care,"  returned  the  doctor.  "It's  the  name  of 
a  buccaneer  of  my  acquaintance;  and  I  call  you  by  it  for  the 
sake  of  shortness,  and  what  I  have  to  say  to  you  is  this:  one 
glass  of  rum  won't  kill  you,  but  if  you  take  one  you  '11  take 
another  and  another,  and  I  stake  my  wig  if  you  don't  break 
off  short,  you  '11  die  —  do  you  understand  that  ?  —  die,  and  go 
to  your  own  place,  like  the  man  in  the  Bible.  Come,  now, 
make  an  effort.  I  '11  help  you  to  your  bed  for  once." 

Between  us,  with  much  trouble,  we  managed  to  hoist  him 
up-stairs,  and  laid  him  on  his  bed,  where  his  head  fell  back 
on  the  pillow,  as  if  he  were  almost  fainting. 

"Now,  mind  you,"  said  the  doctor,  "I  clear  my  conscience 
—  the  name  of  rum  for  you  is  death." 

And  with  that  he  went  off  to  see  my  father,  taking  me 
with  him  by  the  arm. 

"This  is  nothing,"  he  said,  as  soon  as  he  had  closed  the 
door.  "I  have  drawn  blood  enough  to  keep  him  quiet  awhile; 
he  should  lie  for  a  week  where  he  is  —  that  is  the  best  thing 
for  him  and  you;  but  another  stroke  would  settle  him." 


[18] 


CHAPTER  III 
THE  BLACK  SPOT 

BOUT  noon  I  stopped  at  the  captain's  door  with  some 
cooling  drinks  and  medicines.  He  was  lying  very 
much  as  we  had  left  him,  only  a  little  higher,  and 
he  seemed  both  weak  and  excited. 

"Jim,"  he  said,  "yor.  're  the  only  one  here  that's  worth 
anything;  and  you  know  I  've  been  always  good  to  you. 
Never  a  month  but  I  've  given  you  a  silver  fourpenny  for 
yourself.  And  now  you  see,  mate,  I  'm  pretty  low,  and 
deserted  by  all ;  and,  Jim,  you  '11  bring  me  one  noggin  of 
rum,  now,  won't  you,  matey?" 

"The  doctor "  I  began. 

But  he  broke  in,  cursing  the  doctor  in  a  feeble  voice, 
but  heartily.  "Doctors  is  all  swabs,"  he  said;  "and  that 
doctor  there,  why,  what  do  he  know  about  seafaring  men  ? 
I  been  in  places  hot  as  pitch,  and  mates  dropping  round  with 
Yellow  Jack,  and  the  blessed  land  a-heaving  like  the  sea  with 
earthquakes  —  what  do  the  doctor  know  of  lands  like  that  ? 
and  I  lived  on  rum,  I  tell  you.  It 's  been  meat  and  drink, 
and  man  and  wife,  to  me;  and  if  I  'm  not  to  have  my  rum 
now  I  'm  a  poor  old  hulk  on  a  lee  shore,  my  blood  '11  be  on 
you,  Jim,  and  that  doctor  swab;"  and  he  ran  on  again  for 
awhile  with  curses.  "Look,  Jim,  how  my  fingers  fidges,"  he 
continued,  in  the  pleading  tone.  "I  can't  keep  'em  still,  not 

[19] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

I.  I  have  n't  had  a  drop  this  blessed  day.  That  doctor  's 
a  fool,  I  tell  you.  If  I  don't  have  a  drain  o'  rum,  Jim,  I  '11 
have  the  horrors;  I  seen  some  on  'em  already.  I  seen  old 
Flint  in  the  corner  there,  behind  you;  as  plain  as  print,  I 
seen  him;  and  if  I  get  the  horrors,  I  'm  a  man  that  has  lived 
rough,  and  I  '11  raise  Cain.  Your  doctor  hisself  said  one 
glass  wouldn't  hurt  me.  I  '11  give  you  a  golden  guinea  for 
a  noggin,  Jim." 

He  was  growing  more  and  more  excited,  and  this  alarmed 
me  for  my  father,  who  was  very  low  that  day,  and  needed 
quiet;  besides,  I  was  reassured  by  the  doctor's  words,  now 
quoted  to  me,  and  rather  offended  by  the  offer  of  a  bribe. 

"I  want  none  of  your  money,"  said  I,  "but  what  you  owe 
my  father.  I  '11  get  you  one  glass,  and  no  more." 

When  I  brought  it  to  him,  he  seized  it  greedily,  and  drank 
it  out. 

"Ay,  ay,"  said  he,  "that's  some  better,  sure  enough. 
And  now,  matey,  did  that  doctor  say  how  long  I  was  to  lie 
here  in  this  old  berth?" 

"A  week  at  least,"  said  I. 

"Thunder!"  he  cried.  "A  week!  I  can't  do  that;  they  'd 
have  the  black  spot  on  me  by  then.  The  lubbers  is  going 
about  to  get  the  wind  of  me  this  blessed  moment;  lubbers  as 
could  n't  keep  what  they  got,  and  want  to  nail  what  is  an- 
other's. Is  that  seamanly  behaviour,  now,  I  want  to  know  ? 
But  I  'm  a  saving  soul.  I  never  wasted  good  money  of  mine, 
nor  lost  it  neither;  and  I  '11  trick  'em  again.  I  'm  not  afraid 
on  'em.  I  '11  shake  out  another  reef,  matey,  and  daddle  'em 
again." 

[20] 


THE   BLACK  SPOT 

As  he  was  thus  speaking,  he  had  risen  from  bed  with  great 
difficulty,  holding  to  my  shoulder  with  a  grip  that  almost 
made  me  cry  out,  and  moving  his  legs  like  so  much  dead 
weight.  His  words,  spirited  as  they  were  in  meaning,  con- 
trasted sadly  with  the  weakness  of  the  voice  in  which  they 
were  uttered.  He  paused  when  he  had  got  into  a  sitting 
position  on  the  edge. 

"That  doctor's  done  me,"  he  murmured.  "My  ears  is 
singing.  Lay  me  back." 

Before  I  could  do  much  to  help  him  he  had  fallen  back 
again  to  his  former  place,  where  he  lay  for  awhile  silent. 

"Jim,"  he  said,  at  length,  "you  saw  that  seafaring  man 
to-day?" 

"Black  Dog?"  I  asked,  pr 

"Ah!    Black  Dog,"   says  he.     " He 's  a  bad   'un;    but 

there  's  worse  that  put  him  on.     Now,  if  I  can't  get  away 

~  "»how,  and  they  tip  me  the  black  spot,  mind  you,  it 's  my 

sea-chest  they're  after;    you  get  on  a  horse  —  you  can, 

't  you  ?     Well,  then,  you  get  on  a  horse,  and  go  to  —  well, 

,  I  will !  —  to  that  eternal  doctor  swab,  and  tell  him  to  pipe 

hands  —  magistrates  and  sich  —  and  he  '11  lay  'em  aboard 

the  *  Admiral  Benbow'  —  all  old  Flint's  crew,  man  and 

rt  all  on  'em  that 's  left.     I  was  first  mate,  I  was,  old  Flint's 

t  mate,  and  I  'm  the  on'y  one  as  knows  the  place.     He 

/e  it  me  at  Savannah,  when  he  lay  a-dying,  like  as  if  I  was 

now,  you  see.     But  you  won't  peach  unless  they  get  the 

ml-  cr»nit  on  mo    r>^  ,,T>IOOO  IT™,  r-r>*>  that  Black  Dog  again, 

im  above  all." 
captain?"  Tasked. 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

"That 's  a  summons,  mate.  I  '11  tell  you  if  they  get  that. 
But  you  keep  your  weather-eye  open,  Jim,  and  I  '11  share  with 
you  equals,  upon  my  honour." 

He  wandered  a  little  longer,  his  voice  growing  weaker; 
but  soon  after  I  had  given  him  his  medicine,  which  he  took 
like  a  child,  with  the  remark,  "If  ever  a  seaman  wanted  drugs, 
it 's  me,"  he  fell  at  last  into  a  heavy,  swoon-like  sleep,  in 
which  I  left  him.  What  I  should  have  done  had  all  gone 
well  I  do  not  know.  Probably  I  should  have  told  the  whole 
story  to  the  doctor;  for  I  was  in  mortal  fear  lest  the  captain 
should  repent  of  his  confessions  and  make  an  end  of  me. 
But  as  things  fell  out,  my  poor  father  died  quite  suddenly  that 
evening,  which  put  all  other  matters  on  one  side.  Our  natu- 
ral distress,  the  visits  of  the  neighbours,  the  arranging  of  the 
funeral,  and  all  the  work  of  the  inn  to  be  carried  on  in  the 
meanwhile,  kept  me  so  busy  that  I  had  scarcely  time  to  think 
of  the  captain,  far  less  to  be  afraid  of  him. 

He  got  down-stairs  next  morning,  to  be  sure,  and  had  his 
meals  as  usual,  though  he  ate  little,  and  had  more,  I  am 
afraid,  than  his  usual  supply  of  rum,  for  he  helped  himself 
out  of  the  bar,  scowling  and  blowing  through  his  nose,  and 
no  one  dared  to  cross  him.  On  the  night  before  the  funeral 
he  was  as  drunk  as  ever;  and  it  was  shocking,  in  that  house 
of  mourning,  to  hear  him  singing  away  at  his  ugly  old  sea- 
song;  but,  weak  as  he  was,  we  were  all  in  the  fear  of  death 
for  him,  and  the  doctor  was  suddenly  taken  up  with  a  case 
many  miles  away,  and  was  never  near  the  house  after  my 
father's  death.  I  have  said  the  captain  was  weak ;  and  indeed 
he  seemed  rather  to  grow  weaker  than  regain  his  strength. 

[22] 


THE  BLACK  SPOT 

He  clambered  up  and  down  stairs,  and  went  from  the  par- 
lour to  the  bar  and  back  again,  and  sometimes  put  his  nose 
out  of  doors  to  smell  the  sea,  holding  on  to  the  walls  as  he 
went  for  support,  and  breathing  hard  and  fast  like  a  man  on 
a  steep  mountain.  He  never  particularly  addressed  me,  and 
it  is  my  belief  he  had  as  good  as  forgotten  his  confidences; 
but  his  temper  was  more  flighty,  and,  allowing  for  his  bodily 
weakness,  more  violent  than  ever.  He  had  an  alarming  way 
now  when  he  was  drunk  of  drawing  his  cutlass  and  laying  it 
bare  before  him  on  the  table.  But,  with  all  that,  he  minded 
people  less,  and  seemed  shut  up  in  his  own  thoughts  and 
rather  wandering.  Once,  for  instance,  to  our  extreme  wonder, 
he  piped  up  to  a  different  air,  a  kind  of  country  love-song,  that 
he  must  have  learned  in  his  youth  before  he  had  begun  to 
follow  the  sea. 

So  things  passed  until,  the  day  after  the  funeral,  and  about 
three  o'clock  of  a  bitter,  foggy,  frosty  afternoon,  I  was  stand- 
ing at  the  door  for  a  moment,  full  of  sad  thoughts  about  my 
father,  when  I  saw  some  one  drawing  slowly  near  along  the 
road.  He  was  plainly  blind,  for  he  tapped  before  him  with  a 
stick,  and  wore  a  great  green  shade  over  his  eyes  and  nose; 
and  he  was  hunched,  as  if  with  age  or  weakness,  and  wore  a 
huge  old  tattered  sea-cloak  with  a  hood,  that  made  him  appear 
positively  deformed.  I  never  saw  in  my  life  a  more  dreadful 
looking  figure.  He  stopped  a  little  from  the  inn,  and,  raising 
his  voice  in  an  odd  sing-song,  addressed  the  air  in  front  of 
him: 

"Will  any  kind  friend  inform  a  poor  blind  man,  who  has 
lost  the  precious  sight  of  his  eyes  in  the  gracious  defence  of 

[23] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

his  native  country,  England,  and  God  bless  King  George!  — 
where  or  in  what  part  of  this  country  he  may  now  be  ?" 

"You  are  at  the  *  Admiral  Benbow,'  Black  Hill  Cove,  my 
good  man,"  said  I. 

"I  hear  a  voice,"  said  he  —  "a  young  voice.  Will  you 
give  me  your  hand,  my  kind  young  friend,  and  lead  me  in." 

I  held  out  my  hand,  and  the  horrible,  soft-spoken,  eyeless 
creature  gripped  it  in  a  moment  like  a  vice.  I  was  so  much 
startled  that  I  struggled  to  withdraw;  but  the  blind  man 
pulled  me  close  up  to  him  with  a  single  action  of  his  arm. 

"Now,  boy,"  he  said,  "take  me  in  to  the  captain." 

Sir,"  said  I,  "upon  my  word  I  dare  not." 

"Oh,"  he  sneered,  "that's  it!  Take  me  in  straight,  or 
I  '11  break  your  arm." 

And  he  gave  it,  as  he  spoke,  a  wrench  that  made  me  cry 
out. 

"Sir,"  said  I,  "it  is  for  yourself  I  mean.  The  captain  is 
not  what  he  used  to  be.  He  sits  with  a  drawn  cutlass.  An- 
other gentleman " 

"Come,  now,  march,"  interrupted  he;  and  I  never  heard 
a  voice  so  cruel,  and  cold,  and  ugly  as  that  blind  man's.  It 
cowed  me  more  than  the  pain;  and  I  began  to  obey  him  at 
once,  walking  straight  in  at  the  door  and  towards  the  parlour, 
where  our  sick  old  buccaneer  was  sitting,  dazed  with  rum. 
The  blind  man  clung  close  to  me,  holding  me  in  one  iron 
fist,  and  leaning  almost  more  of  his  weight  on  me  than  I  could 
carry.  "Lead  me  straight  up  to  him,  and  when  I  'm  in 
view,  cry  out,  *  Here's  a  friend  for  you,  Bill.'  If  you  don't 
I  '11  do  this;"  and  with  that  he  gave  me  a  twitch  that  I  thought 

[24] 


THE  BLACK  SPOT 

would  have  made  me  faint.  Between  this  and  that,  I  was 
so  utterly  terrified  of  the  blind  beggar  that  I  forgot  my  terror 
of  the  captain,  and  as  I  opened  the  parlour  door,  cried  out 
the  words  he  had  ordered  in  a  trembling  voice. 

The  poor  captain  raised  his  eyes,  and  at  one  look  the 
rum  went  out  of  him,  and  left  him  staring  sober.  The  expres- 
sion of  his  face  was  not  so  much  of  terror  as  of  mortal  sick- 
ness. He  made  a  movement  to  rise,  but  I  do  not  believe  he 
had  enough  force  left  in  his  body. 

"Now,  Bill,  sit  where  you  are,"  said  the  beggar.  "If  I 
can't  see,  I  can  hear  a  finger  stirring.  Business  is  business. 
Hold  out  your  left  hand.  Boy,  take  his  left  hand  by  the 
wrist,  and  bring  it  near  to  my  right." 

We  both  obeyed  him  to  the  letter,  and  I  saw  him  pass 
something  from  the  hollow  of  the  hand  that  held  his  stick 
into  the  palm  of  the  captain's,  which  closed  upon  it  in- 
stantly. 

"And  now  that's  done,"  said  the  blind  man;  and  at  the 
words  he  suddenly  left  hold  of  me,  and  with  incredible  accu- 
racy and  nimbleness,  skipped  out  of  the  parlour  and  into  the 
road,  where,  as  I  still  stood  motionless,  I  could  hear  his  stick 
go  tap-tap-tapping  into  the  distance. 

It  was  some  time  before  either  I  or  the  captain  seemed 
to  gather  our  senses;  but  at  length,  and  about  at  the  same 
moment,  I  released  his  wrist,  which  I  was  still  holding,  and  he 
drew  in  his  hand  and  looked  sharply  into  the  palm. 

"Ten  o'clock!"  he  cried.  "Six  hours.  We '11  do  them 
yet;"  and  he  sprang  to  his  feet. 

Even  as  he  did  so,  he  reeled,  put  his  hand  to  his  throat, 
[25] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

stood  swaying  for  a  moment,  and  then,  with  a  peculiar  sound, 
fell  from  his  whole  height  face  foremost  to  the  floor. 

I  ran  to  him  at  once,  calling  to  my  mother.  But  haste 
was  all  in  vain.  The  captain  had  been  struck  dead  by  thun- 
dering apoplexy.  It  is  a  curious  thing  to  understand,  for  I 
had  certainly  never  liked  the  man,  though  of  late  I  had  begun 
to  pity  him,  but  as  soon  as  I  saw  that  he  was  dead,  I  burst 
into  a  flood  of  tears.  It  was  the  second  death  I  had  known, 
and  the  sorrow  of  the  first  was  still  fresh  in  my  heart. 


[26] 


CHAPTEK  IV 
THE  SEA-CHEST 

I  LOST  no  time,  of  course,  in  telling  my  mother  all  that  I 
knew,  and  perhaps  should  have  told  her  long  before, 
and  we  saw  ourselves  at  once  in  a  difficult  and  danger- 
ous position.  Some  of  the  man's  money  —  if  he  had  any 
—  was  certainly  due  to  us;  but  it  was  not  likely  that  our 
captain's  shipmates,  above  all  the  two  specimens  seen  by  me, 
Black  Dog  and  the  blind  beggar,  would  be  inclined  to  give 
up  their  booty  in  payment  of  the  dead  man's  debts.  The  cap- 
tain's order  to  mount  at  once  and  ride  for  Dr.  Livesey  would 
have  left  my  mother  alone  and  unprotected,  which  was  not 
to  be  thought  of.  Indeed,  it  seemed  impossible  for  either  of 
us  to  remain  much  longer  in  the  house:  the  fall  of  coals  in 
the  kitchen  grate,  the  very  ticking  of  the  clock,  filled  us  with 
alarms.  The  neighbourhood,  to  our  ears,  seemed  haunted  by 
approaching  footsteps;  and  what  between  the  dead  body  of 
the  captain  on  the  parlour  floor,  and  the  thought  of  that 
detestable  blind  beggar  hovering  near  at  hand,  and  ready  to 
return,  there  were  moments  when,  as  the  saying  goes,  I 
jumped  in  my  skin  for  terror.  Something  must  speedily  be 
resolved  upon;  and  it  occurred  to  us  at  last  to  go  forth  to- 
gether and  seek  help  in  the  neighbouring  hamlet.  No  sooner 

[27] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

said  than  done.  Bareheaded  as  we  were,  we  ran  out  at  once 
in  the  gathering  evening  and  the  frosty  fog. 

The  hamlet  lay  not  many  hundred  yards  away,  though 
out  of  view,  on  the  other  side  of  the  next  cove;  and  what 
greatly  encouraged  me,  it  was  in  an  opposite  direction  from 
that  whence  the  blind  man  had  made  his  appearance,  and 
whither  he  had  presumably  returned.  We  were  not  many 
minutes  on  the  road,  though  we  sometimes  stopped  to  lay 
hold  of  each  other  and  hearken.  But  there  was  no  unusual 
sound  —  nothing  but  the  low  wash  of  the  ripple  and  the  croak- 
ing of  the  inmates  of  the  wood. 

It  was  already  candle-light  when  we  reached  the  hamlet, 
and  I  shall  never  forget  how  much  I  was  cheered  to  see  the 
yellow  shine  in  doors  and  windows;  but  that,  as  it  proved, 
was  the  best  of  the  help  we  were  likely  to  get  in  that  quarter. 
For  —  you  would  have  thought  men  would  have  been  ashamed 
of  themselves  —  no  soul  would  consent  to  return  with  us  to 
the  "Admiral  Benbow."  The  more  we  told  of  our  troubles, 
the  more  —  man,  woman,  and  child  —  they  clung  to  the  shel- 
ter of  their  houses.  The  name  of  Captain  Flint,  though  it 
was  strange  to  me,  was  well  enough  known  to  some  there, 
and  carried  a  great  weight  of  terror.  Some  of  the  men  who 
had  been  to  field-work  on  the  far  side  of  the  "Admiral  Ben- 
bow"  remembered,  besides,  to  have  seen  several  strangers  on 
the  road,  and,  taking  them  to  be  smugglers,  to  have  bolted 
away;  and  one  at  least  had  seen  a  little  lugger  in  what  we 
called  Kitt's  Hole.  For  that  matter,  any  one  who  was  a 
comrade  of  the  captain's  was  enough  to  frighten  them  to 
death.  And  the  short  and  the  long  of  the  matter  was,  that 

[28]  ' 


THE  SEA-CHEST 

while  we  could  get  several  who  were  willing  enough  to  ride 
to  Dr.  Livesey's,  which  lay  in  another  direction,  not  one  would 
help  us  to  defend  the  inn. 

They  say  cowardice  is  infectious;  but  then  argument  is, 
on  the  other  hand,  a  great  emboldener;  and  so  when  each 
had  said  his  say,  my  mother  made  them  a  speech.  She  would 
not,  she  declared,  lose  money  that  belonged  to  her  fatherless 
boy;  "if  none  of  the  rest  of  you  dare,"  she  said,  "Jim  and  I 
dare.  Back  we  will  go,  the  way  we  came,  and  small  thanks 
to  you  big,  hulking,  chicken-hearted  men.  We  '11  have  that 
chest  open,  if  we  die  for  it.  And  I  '11  thank  you  for  that 
bag,  Mrs.  Crossley,  to  bring  back  our  lawful  money  in." 

Of  course  I  said  I  would  go  with  my  mother;  and  of 
course  they  all  cried  out  at  our  f oolhardiness ;  but  even  then 
not  a  man  would  go  along  with  us.  All  they  would  do  was  to 
give  me  a  loaded  pistol,  lest  we  were  attacked ;  and  to  promise 
to  have  horses  ready  saddled,  in  case  we  were  pursued  on  our 
return;  while  one  lad  was  to  ride  forward  to  the  doctor's  in 
search  of  armed  assistance. 

My  heart  was  beating  finely  when  we  two  set  forth  in  the 
cold  night  upon  this  dangerous  venture.  A  full  moon  was 
beginning  to  rise  and  peered  redly  through  the  upper  edges 
of  the  fog,  and  this  increased  our  haste,  for  it  was  plain, 
before  we  came  forth  again,  that  all  would  be  as  bright  as 
day,  and  our  departure  exposed  to  the  eyes  of  any  watchers. 
We  slipped  along  the  hedges,  noiseless  and  swift,  nor  did  we 
see  or  hear  anything  to  increase  our  terrors,  till,  to  our  relief, 
the  door  of  the  "Admiral  Benbow"  had  closed  behind  us. 

I  slipoed  the  bolt  at  once,  and  we  stood  and  panted  for  a 
[29] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

moment  in  the  dark,  alone  in  the  house  with  the  dead  cap- 
tain's body.  Then  my  mother  got  a  candle  in  the  bar,  and, 
holding  each  other's  hands,  we  advanced  into  the  parlour. 
He  lay  as  we  had  left  him,  on  his  back,  with  his  eyes  open, 
and  one  arm  stretched  out. 

"Draw  down  the  blind,  Jim,"  whispered  my  mother; 
"they  might  come  and  watch  outside.  And  now,"  said  she, 
when  I  had  done  so,  "we  have  to  get  the  key  off  that;  and 
who  's  to  touch  it,  I  should  like  to  know!"  and  she  gave  a 
kind  of  sob  as  she  said  the  words. 

I  went  down  on  my  knees  at  once.  On  the  floor  close  to 
his  hand  there  was  a  little  round  of  paper,  blackened  on  the 
one  side.  I  could  not  doubt  that  this  was  the  black  spot;  and 
taking  it  up,  I  found  written  on  the  other  side,  in  a  very  good, 
clear  hand,  this  short  message;  "You  have  till  ten  to-night." 

"He  had  till  ten,  mother,"  said  I;  and  just  as  I  said  it, 
our  old  clock  began  striking.  This  sudden  noise  startled  us 
shockingly;  but  the  news  was  good,  for  it  was  only  six. 

"Now,  Jim,"  she  said,  "that  key." 

I  felt  in  his  pockets,  one  after  another.  A  few  small 
coins,  a  thimble,  and  some  thread  and  big  needles,  a  piece  of 
pigtail  tobacco  bitten  away  at  the  end,  his  gully  with  the 
crooked  handle,  a  pocket  compass,  and  a  tinder-box,  were  all 
that  they  contained,  and  I  began  to  despair. 

"Perhaps  it 's  round  his  neck,"  suggested  my  mother. 

Overcoming  a  strong  repugnance,  I  tore  open  his  shirt  at 
the  neck,  and  there,  sure  enough,  hanging  to  a  bit  of  tarry 
string,  which  I  cut  with  his  own  gully,  we  found  the  key. 
At  this  triumph  we  were  filled  with  hope,  and  hurried  up- 

[30] 


THE   SEA-CHEST 

stairs,  without  delay,  to  the  little  room  where  he  had  slept 
so  long,  and  where  his  box  had  stood  since  the  day  of  his 
arrival. 

It  was  like  any  other  seaman's  chest  on  the  outside,  the 
initial  "B."  burned  on  the  top  of  it  with  a  hot  iron,  and  the 
corners  somewhat  smashed  and  broken  as  by  long,  rough 
usage. 

"Give  me  the  key,"  said  my  mother;  and  though  the  lock 
was  very  stiff,  she  had  turned  it  and  thrown  back  the  lid  in  a 
twinkling. 

A  strong  smell  of  tobacco  and  tar  rose  from  the  interior, 
but  nothing  was  to  be  seen  on  the  top  except  a  suit  of  very 
good  clothes,  carefully  brushed  and  folded.  They  had  never 
been  worn,  my  mother  said.  Under  that,  the  miscellany  be- 
gan —  a  quadrant,  a  tin  canikin,  several  sticks  of  tobacco, 
two  brace  of  very  handsome  pistols,  a  piece  of  bar  silver,  an 
old  Spanish  watch  and  some  other  trinkets  of  little  value  and 
mostly  of  foreign  make,  a  pair  of  compasses  mounted  with 
brass,  and  five  or  six  curious  West  Indian  shells.  I  have  often 
wondered  since  why  he  should  have  carried  about  these  shells 
with  him  in  his  wandering,  guilty,  and  hunted  life. 

In  the  meantime,  we  had  found  nothing  of  any  value  but 
the  silver  and  the  trinkets,  and  neither  of  these  were  in  our 
way.  Underneath  there  was  an  old  boat-cloak,  whitened  with 
sea-salt  on  many  a  harbour-bar.  My  mother  pulled  it  up 
with  impatience,  and  there  lay  before  us,  the  last  things  in 
the  chest,  a  bundle  tied  up  in  oilcloth,  and  looking  like  papers, 
and  a  canvas  bag,  that  gave  forth,  at  a  touch,  the  jingle  of 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

"I  '11  show  these  rogues  that  I  'm  an  honest  woman,"  said 
my  mother.  "I  '11  have  my  dues,  and  not  a  farthing  over. 
Hold  Mrs.  Crossley's  bag."  And  she  began  to  count  over  the 
amount  of  the  captain's  score  from  the  sailor's  bag  into  the 
one  that  I  was  holding. 

It  was  a  long,  difficult  business,  for  the  coins  were  of  all 
countries  and  sizes  —  doubloons,  and  louis-d'ors,  and  guineas, 
and  pieces  of  eight,  and  I  know  not  what  besides,  all  shaken 
together  at  random.  The  guineas,  too,  were  about  the 
scarcest,  and  it  was  with  these  only  that  my  mother  knew 
how  to  make  her  count. 

When  we  were  about  half-way  through,  I  suddenly  put  my 
hand  upon  her  arm;  for  I  had  heard  in  the  silent,  frosty  air, 
a  sound  that  brought  my  heart  into  my  mouth  —  the  tap-tap- 
ping of  the  blind  man's  stick  upon  the  frozen  road.  It  drew 
nearer  and  nearer,  while  we  sat  holding  our  breath.  Then 
it  struck  sharp  on  the  inn  door,  and  then  we  could  hear  the 
handle  being  turned,  and  the  bolt  rattling  as  the  wretched 
being  tried  to  enter;  and  then  there  was  a  long  time  of  silence 
both  within  and  without.  At  last  the  tapping  re-commenced, 
and,  to  our  indescribable  joy  and  gratitude,  died  slowly  away 
again  until  it  ceased  to  be  heard. 

"Mother,"  said  I,  "take  the  whole  and  let's  be  going"; 
for  I  was  sure  the  bolted  door  must  have  seemed  suspicious, 
and  would  bring  the  whole  hornet's  nest  about  our  ears; 
though  how  thankful  I  was  that  I  had  bolted  it,  none  could 
tell  who  had  never  met  that  terrible  blind  man. 

But  my  mother,  frightened  as  she  was,  would  not  consent 
to  take  a  fraction  more  than  was  due  to  her,  and  was  obsti- 

[32] 


THE  SEA-CHEST 

nately  unwilling  to  be  content  with  less.  It  was  not  yet  seven, 
she  said,  by  a  long  way;  she  knew  her  rights  and  she  would 
have  them;  and  she  was  still  arguing  with  me,  when  a  little 
low  whistle  sounded  a  good  way  off  upon  the  hill.  That  was 
enough,  and  more  than  enough,  for  both  of  us. 

"I  '11  take  what  I  have,"  she  said,  jumping  to  her  feet. 

"And  I  '11  take  this  to  square  the  count,"  said  I,  picking 
up  the  oilskin  packet. 

Next  moment  we  were  both  groping  down-stairs,  leaving 
the  candle  by  the  empty  chest;  and  the  next  we  had  opened 
the  door  and  were  in  full  retreat.  We  had  not  started  a 
moment  too  soon.  The  fog  was  rapidly  dispersing;  already  the 
moon  shone  quite  clear  on  the  high  ground  on  either  side; 
and  it  was  only  in  the  exact  bottom  of  the  dell  and  round  the 
tavern  door  that  a  thin  veil  still  hung  unbroken  to  conceal 
the  first  steps  of  our  escape.  Far  less  than  half-way  to  the 
hamlet,  very  little  beyond  the  bottom  of  the  hill,  we  must 
come  forth  into  the  moonlight.  Nor  was  this  all;  for  the 
sound  of  several  footsteps  running  came  already  to  our  ears, 
and  as  we  looked  back  in  their  direction,  a  light  tossing  to 
and  fro  and  still  rapidly  advancing,  showed  that  one  of  the 
new-comers  carried  a  lantern. 

"My  dear,"  said  my  mother  suddenly,  "take  the  money 
and  run  on.  I  am  going  to  faint." 

This  was  certainly  the  end  for  both  of  us,  I  thought.  How 
I  cursed  the  cowardice  of  the  neighbours;  how  I  blamed  my 
poor  mother  for  her  honesty  and  her  greed,  for  her  past  fool- 
hardiness  and  present  weakness!  We  were  just  at  the  little 
bridge,  by  good  fortune;  and  I  helped  her,  tottering  as  she 

[33] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

was,  to  the  edge  of  the  bank,  where,  sure  enough,  she  gave 
a  sigh  and  fell  on  my  shoulder.  I  do  not  know  how  I  found 
the  strength  to  do  it  at  all,  and  I  am  afraid  it  was  roughly 
done;  but  I  managed  to  drag  her  down  the  bank  and  a  little 
way  under  the  arch.  Farther  I  could  not  move  her,  for  the 
bridge  was  too  low  to  let  me  do  more  than  crawl  below  it. 
So  there  we  had  to  stay  —  my  mother  almost  entirely  exposed, 
and  both  of  us  within  earshot  of  the  inn. 


34 


CHAPTER  V 
THE  LAST  OF  THE  BLIND  MAN 

MY  curiosity,  in  a  sense,  was  stronger  than  my  fear; 
for  I  could  not  remain  where  I  was,  but  crept  back 
to  the  bank  again,  whence,  sheltering  my  head  be- 
hind a  bush  of  broom,  I  might  command  the  road  before  our 
door.  I  was  scarcely  in  position  ere  my  enemies  began  to 
arrive,  seven  or  eight  of  them,  running  hard,  their  feet  beat- 
ing out  of  time  along  the  road,  and  the  man  with  the  lantern 
some  paces  in  front.  Three  men  ran  together,  hand  in  hand; 
and  I  made  out,  even  through  the  mist,  that  the  middle  man 
of  this  trio  was  the  blind  beggar.  The  next  moment  his  voice 
showed  me  that  I  was  right. 

"Down  with  the  door!"  he  cried. 

"Ay,  ay,  sir!"  answered  two  or  three;  and  a  rush  was 
made  upon  the  "Admiral  Benbow,"  the  lantern-bearer  fol- 
lowing; and  then  I  could  see  them  pause,  and  hear  speeches 
passed  in  a  lower  key,  as  if  they  were  surprised  to  find  the 
door  open.  But  the  pause  was  brief,  for  the  blind  man  again 
issued  his  commands.  His  voice  sounded  louder  and  higher, 
as  if  he  were  afire  with  eagerness  and  rage. 

"In,  in,  in!"   he  shouted,  and  cursed  them  for  their  delay. 

Four  or  five  of  them  obeyed  at  once,  two  remaining  on  the 
road  with  the  formidable  beggar.  There  was  a  pause,  then 
a  cry  of  surprise,  and  then  a  voice  shouting  from  the  house: 

[35] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

"Bill 's  dead." 

But  the  blind  man  swore  at  them  again  for  their  delay. 

"Search  him,  some  of  you  shirking  lubbers,  and  the  rest 
of  you  aloft  and  get  the  chest,"  he  cried. 

I  could  hear  their  feet  rattling  up  our  old  stairs,  so  that 
the  house  must  have  shook  with  it.  Promptly  afterwards, 
fresh  sounds  of  astonishment  arose;  the  window  of  the  cap- 
tain's room  was  thrown  open  with  a  slam  and  a  jingle  of 
broken  glass;  and  a  man  leaned  out  into  the  moonlight,  head 
and  shoulders,  and  addressed  the  blind  beggar  on  the  road 
below  him. 

"Pew,"  he  cried,  "they  've  been  before  us.  Some  one  's 
turned  the  chest  out  alow  and  aloft." 

"Is  it  there?"  roared  Pew. 

"The  money  's  there." 

The  blind  man  cursed  the  money. 

"Flint's  fist,  I  mean,"  he  cried. 

"We  don't  see  it  here  nohow,"  returned  the  man. 

"Here,  you  below  there,  is  it  on  Bill?"  cried  the  blind 
man  again. 

At  that,  another  fellow,  probably  he  who  had  remained 
below  to  search  the  captain's  body,  came  to  the  door  of  the 
inn.  "Bill 's  been  overhauled  a'ready,"  said  he,  "nothin'  left." 

"It's  these  people  of  the  inn  —  it's  that  boy.  I  wish  I 
had  put  his  eyes  out!"  cried  the  blind  man,  Pew.  "They 
were  here  no  time  ago  —  they  had  the  door  bolted  when  I 
tried  it.  Scatter,  lads,  and  find  'em." 

"Sure  enough,  they  left  their  glim  here,"  said  the  fellow 
from  the  window. 

[36] 


THE   LAST  OF  THE  BLIND  MAN 

"Scatter  and  find  'em!  Rout  the  house  out!"  reiterated 
Pew,  striking  with  his  stick  upon  the  road. 

Then  there  followed  a  great  to-do  through  all  our  old  inn, 
heavy  feet  pounding  to  and  fro,  furniture  thrown  over,  doors 
kicked  in,  until  the  very  rocks  re-echoed,  and  the  men  came 
out  again,  one  after  another,  on  the  road,  and  declared  that 
we  were  nowhere  to  be  found.  And  just  then  the  same 
whistle  that  had  alarmed  my  mother  and  myself  over  the  dead 
captain's  money  was  once  more  clearly  audible  through  the 
night,  but  this  time  twice  repeated.  I  had  thought  it  to  be 
the  blind  man's  trumpet,  so  to  speak,  summoning  his  crew 
to  the  assault;  but  I  now  found  that  it  was  a  signal  from  the 
hillside  towards  the  hamlet,  and,  from  its  effect  upon  the 
buccaneers,  a  signal  to  warn  them  of  approaching  danger. 

"There's  Dirk  again,"  said  one.  "Twice!  We'll  have 
to  budge,  mates." 

"Budge,  you  skulk!"  cried  Pew.  "Dirk  was  a  fool  and 
a  coward  from  the  first  —  you  would  n't  mind  him.  They 
must  be  close  by;  they  can't  be  far;  you  have  your  hands 
on  it.  Scatter  and  look  for  them,  dogs!  Oh,  shiver  my 
soul,"  he  cried,  "if  I  had  eyes!" 

This  appeal  seemed  to  produce  some  effect,  for  two  of  the 
fellows  began  to  look  here  and  there  among  the  lumber,  but 
half-heartedly,  I  thought,  and  with  half  an  eye  to  their  own 
danger  all  the  time,  while  the  rest  stood  irresolute  on  the 
road. 

"You  have  your  hands  on  thousands,  you  fools,  and  you 
hang  a  leg !  You  'd  be  as  rich  as  kings  if  you  could  find  it, 
and  you  know  it 's  here,  and  you  stand  there  skulking.  There 

[37] 

^104-0 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

wasn't  one  of  you  dared  face  Bill,  and  I  did  it  —  a  blind  man ! 
And  I  'm  to  lose  my  chance  for  you!  I  'm  to  be  a  poor, 
crawling  beggar,  sponging  for  rum,  when  I  might  be  rolling 
in  a  coach!  If  you  had  the  pluck  of  a  weevil  in  a  biscuit 
you  would  catch  them  still." 

"Hang  it,  Pew,  we  've  got  the  doubloons!"  grumbled  one. 

"They  might  have  hid  the  blessed  thing,"  said  another. 
"Take  the  Georges,  Pew,  and  don't  stand  here  squalling." 

Squalling  was  the  word  for  it,  Pew's  anger  rose  so  high 
at  these  objections;  till  at  last,  his  passion  completely  taking 
the  upper-hand,  he  struck  at  them  right  and  left  in  his  blind- 
ness, and  his  stick  sounded  heavily  on  more  than  one. 

These,  in  their  turn,  cursed  back  at  the  blind  miscreant, 
threatened  him  in  horrid  terms,  and  tried  in  vain  to  catch 
the  stick  and  wrest  it  from  his  grasp. 

This  quarrel  was  the  saving  of  us;  for  while  it  was  still 
raging,  another  sound  came  from  the  top  of  the  hill  on  the 
side  of  the  hamlet  —  the  tramp  of  horses  galloping.  Almost 
at  the  same  time  a  pistol-shot,  flash  and  report,  came  from 
the  hedge  side.  And  that  was  plainly  the  last  signal  of  dan- 
ger; for  the  buccaneers  turned  at  once  and  ran,  separating 
in  every  direction,  one  seaward  along  the  cove,  one  slant 
across  the  hill,  and  so  on,  so  that  in  half  a  minute  not  a  sign 
of  them  remained  but  Pew.  Him  they  had  deserted,  whether 
in  sheer  panic  or  out  of  revenge  for  his  ill  words  and  blows, 
I  know  not;  but  there  he  remained  behind,  tapping  up  and 
down  the  road  in  a  frenzy,  and  groping  and  calling  for  his 
comrades.  Finally  ho  took  the  wrong  turn,  and  ran  a  few 
steps  past  me,  towards  the  hamlet,  crying: 

[38] 


grumble 

ailing." 

• 

more  than  one. 

at  the  blind  miscreant, 

TT*lf*fJ     1T1     VftlTl     i"O 

Tapping  up  and  down  the  road  in  a  frenzy,  and  groping  and 
calling  for  his  comrades 

;    for  while  it  was  still 

'ull  on  the 

.  i  Hoping.    Almost 

from 

the  last  sigit 
•  ice  and  )  rating 

a  minute 
bey  had 

d,  tapping  up  and 

l^^Hftv   h-  ."         '    •  •••  • 


AST  OF  THE  BLIND  MAN 

"Johnny,  Ei  ck  Dog,  Dirk,"  and  other  names,  "you 
won't  lc-  ve  old  Pow,  mates  —  not  old  Pew!" 

Just  then  the  noise  of  horses  topped  the  rise,  and  four  or 
five  riders  came  in  sight  in  the  moonlight,  and  swept  at  full 
gallop  down  the  slope. 

At  this  Pew  saw  his  error,  turned  with  a  scream,  and  ran 
straight  for  the  ditch,  into  which  he  rolled.  But  he  was  on 
his  feet  again  in  a  second,  and  made  another  dash,  now 
utterly  bewildered,  right  under  the  nearest  of  the  coming 
horses. 

The  rider  tried  to  save  him,  but  in  vain.  Down  went 
Pew  with  a  cry  that  rang  high  into  the  night;  and  the  four 
hoofs  trampled  and  spurned  him  and  passed  by.  He  fell  on  his 
side,  then  gently  collapsed  upon  his  face,  and  moved  no  more. 

I  leaped  to  my  feet  and  hailed  the  riders.  They  were 
pulling  up,  at  any  rate,  horrified  at  the  accident;  and  I  soon 
saw  what  they  were.  One,  tailing  out  behind  the  rest,  was  a 
lad  that  had  gone  from  the  hamlet  to  Dr.  Livesey's;  the  rest 
were  revenue  officers,  whom  he  had  met  by  the  way,  and 
with  whom  he  had  had  the  intelligence  to  return  at  once. 
Some  news  of  the  lugger  in  Kitt's  Hole  had  found  its  way  to 
Supervisor  Dance,  and  set  him  forth  that  night  in  our  direc- 
tion, and  to  that  circumstance  my  mother  and  I  owed  our 
preservation  from  death. 

Pew  was  dead,  stone  dead.  As  for  my  mother,  when  we 
had  carried  her  up  to  the  hamlet,  a  little  cold  water  and  salts 
and  that  soon  brought  her  back  again,  and  she  was  none  the 
worse  for  her  terror,  though  she  still  continued  to  deplore  the 
balance  of  the  money.  In  the  meantime  the  supervisor  rode 

[39] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

on,  as  fast  as  he  could,  to  Kitt's  Hole;  but  his  men  had  to 
dismount  and  grope  down  the  dingle,  leading,  and  sometimes 
supporting,  their  horses,  and  in  continual  fear  of  ambushes; 
so  it  was  no  great  matter  for  surprise  that  when  they  got 
down  to  the  Hole  the  lugger  was  already  under  way,  though 
still  close  in.  He  hailed  her.  A  voice  replied,  telling  him 
to  keep  out  of  the  moonlight,  or  he  would  get  some  lead  in 
him,  and  at  the  same  time  a  bullet  whistled  close  by  his  arm. 
Soon  after,  the  lugger  doubled  the  point  and  disappeared. 
Mr.  Dance  stood  there,  as  he  said,  "like  a  fish  out  of  water," 

and  all  he  could  do  was  to  despatch  a  man  to  B to  warn 

the  cutter.  "And  that,"  said  he,  "is  just  about  as  good  as 
nothing.  They  've  got  off  clean,  and  there  's  an  end.  Only," 
he  added,  "I'm  glad  I  trod  on  Master  Pew's  corns;"  for 
by  this  time  he  had  heard  my  story. 

I  went  back  with  him  to  the  "Admiral  Benbow,"  and  you 
cannot  imagine  a  house  in  such  a  state  of  smash;  the  very 
clock  had  been  thrown  down  by  these  fellows  in  their  furious 
hunt  after  my  mother  and  myself;  and  though  nothing  had 
actually  been  taken  away  except  the  captain's  money-bag 
and  a  little  silver  from  the  till,  I  could  see  at  once  that  we 
were  ruined.  Mr.  Dance  could  make  nothing  of  the  scene. 

"They  got  the  money,  you  say?  Well,  then,  Hawkins, 
what  in  fortune  were  they  after?  More  money,  I  suppose?" 

"No,  sir;  not  money,  I  think,"  replied  I.  "In  fact,  sir, 
I  believe  I  have  the  thing  in  my  breast-pocket;  and,  to  tell 
you  the  truth,  I  should  like  to  get  it  put  in  safety." 

"To  be  sure,  boy;  quite  right,"  said  he.  "I  '11  take  it, 
if  you  like." 

[40] 


THE  LAST  OF  THE  BLIND  MAN 

"I  thought,  perhaps,  Dr.  Livesey "  I  began. 

"Perfectly  right,"  he  interrupted,  very  cheerily,  "perfectly 
right  —  a  gentleman  and  a  magistrate.  And,  now  I  come  to 
think  of  it,  I  might  as  well  ride  round  there  myself  and  report 
to  him  or  squire.  Master  Pew  's  dead,  when  all 's  done;  not 
that  I  regret  it,  but  he  's  dead,  you  see,  and  people  will  make 
it  out  against  an  officer  of  his  Majesty's  revenue,  if  make  it 
out  they  can.  Now,  I  '11  tell  you,  Hawkins :  if  you  like,  I  '11 
take  you  along." 

I  thanked  him  heartily  for  the  offer,  and  we  walked  back 
to  the  hamlet  where  the  horses  were.  By  the  time  I  had  told 
mother  of  my  purpose  they  were  all  in  the  saddle. 

"Dogger,"  said  Mr.  Dance,  "you  have  a  good  horse;  take 
up  this  lad  behind  you." 

As  soon  as  I  was  mounted,  holding  on  to  Dogger's  belt, 
the  supervisor  gave  the  word,  and  the  party  struck  out  at  a 
bouncing  trot  on  the  road  to  Dr.  Livesey's  house. 


[41 


CHAPTER  YI 
THE   CAPTAIN'S  PAPERS 

WE  rode  hard  all  the  way,  till  we  drew  up  before  Dr. 
Livesey's  door.  The  house  was  all  dark  to  the 
front. 

Mr.  Dance  told  me  to  jump  down  and  knock,  and  Dogger 
gave  me  a  stirrup  to  descend  by.  The  door  was  opened 
almost  at  once  by  the  maid. 

"Is  Dr.  Livesey  in?"  I  asked. 

No,  she  said;  he  had  come  home  in  the  afternoon,  but 
had  gone  up  to  the  Hall  to  dine  and  pass  the  evening  with 
the  squire. 

"So  there  we  go,  boys,"  said  Mr.  Dance. 
This  time,  as  the  distance  was  short,  I  did  not  mount, 
but  ran  with  Dogger's  stirrup-leather  to  the  lodge  gates,  and 
up  the  long,  leafless,  moonlit  avenue  to  where  the  white  line 
of  the  Hall  buildings  looked  on  either  hand  on  great  old 
gardens.  Here  Mr.  Dance  dismounted,  and,  taking  me 
along  with  him,  was  admitted  at  a  word  into  the  house. 

The  servant  led  us  down  a  matted  passage,  and  showed 
us  at  the  end  into  a  great  library,  all  lined  with  bookcases 
and  busts  upon  the  top  of  them,  where  the  squire  and  Dr. 
Livesey  sat,  pipe  in  hand,  on  either  side  of  a  bright  fire. 

[42} 


THE   CAPTAIN'S  PAPERS 

I  had  never  seen  the  squire  so  near  at  hand.  He  was  a 
tall  man,  over  six  feet  high,  and  broad  in  proportion,  and  he 
had  a  bluff,  rough-and-ready  face,  all  roughened  and  red- 
dened and  lined  in  his  long  travels.  His  eyebrows  were  very 
black,  and  moved  readily,  and  this  gave  him  a  look  of  some 
temper,  not  bad,  you  would  say,  but  quick  and  high. 

"Come  in,  Mr.  Dance,"  says  he,  very  stately  and  con- 
descending. 

"Good-evening,  Dance,"  says  the  doctor,  with  a  nod. 
"And  good-evening  to  you,  friend  Jim.  What  good  wind 
brings  you  here?" 

The  supervisor  stood  up  straight  and  stiff,  and  told  his 
story  like  a  lesson;  and  you  should  have  seen  how  the  two 
gentlemen  leaned  forward  and  looked  at  each  other,  and  for- 
got to  smoke  in  their  surprise  and  interest.  When  they  heard 
how  my  mother  went  back  to  the  inn,  Dr.  Livesey  fairly 
slapped  his  thigh,  and  the  squire  cried  "Bravo"!  and  broke 
his  long  pipe  against  the  grate.  Long  before  it  was  done,  Mr. 
Trelawney  (that,  you  will  remember,  was  the  squire's  name) 
had  got  up  from  his  seat,  and  was  striding  about  the  room, 
and  the  doctor,  as  if  to  hear  the  better,  had  taken  off  his 
powdered  wig,  and  sat  there,  looking  very  strange  indeed  with 
his  own  close-cropped,  black  poll. 

At  last  Mr.  Dance  finished  the  story. 

"Mr.  Dance,"  said  the  squire,  "you  are  a  very  noble  fel- 
low. And  as  for  riding  down  that  black,  atrocious  miscreant, 
I  regard  it  as  an  act  of  virtue,  sir,  like  stamping  on  a  cock- 
roach. This  lad  Hawkins  is  a  trump,  I  perceive.  Hawkins, 
will  you  ring  that  bell  ?  Mr.  Dance  must  have  some  ale." 

[43] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

"And  so,  Jim,"  said  the  doctor,  "you  have  the  thing  that 
they  were  after,  have  you  ?" 

"Here  it  is,  sir,"  said  I,  and  gave  him  the  oil-skin  packet. 

The  doctor  looked  it  all  over,  as  if  his  fingers  were  itch- 
ing to  open  it;  but,  instead  of  doing  that,  he  put  it  quietly 
in  the  pocket  of  his  coat. 

"Squire,"  said  he,  "when  Dance  has  had  his  ale  he  must, 
of  course,  be  off  on  his  Majesty's  service;  but  I  mean  to 
keep  Jim  Hawkins  here  to  sleep  at  my  house,  and,  with  your 
permission,  I  propose  we  should  have  up  the  cold  pie,  and 
let  him  sup." 

"As  you  will,  Livesey,"  said  the  squire;  "Hawkins  has 
earned  better  than  cold  pie." 

So  a  big  pigeon  pie  was  brought  in  and  put  on  a  side- 
table,  and  I  made  a  hearty  supper,  for  I  was  as  hungry  as  a 
hawk,  while  Mr.  Dance  was  further  complimented,  and  at 
last  dismissed. 

"And  now,  squire,"  said  the  doctor. 

"And  now,  Livesey,"  said  the  squire  in  the  same  breath. 

"One  at  a  time,  one  at  a  time,"  laughed  Dr.  Livesey. 
"You  have  heard  of  this  Flint,  I  suppose?" 

"Heard  of  him!"  cried  the  squire.  "Heard  of  him,  you 
say!  He  was  the  bloodthirstiest  buccaneer  that  sailed. 
Blackbeard  was  a  child  to  Flint.  The  Spaniards  were  so 
prodigiously  afraid  of  him,  that,  I  tell  you,  sir,  I  was  some- 
times proud  he  was  an  Englishman.  I  've  seen  his  top-sails 
with  these  eyes,  off  Trinidad,  and  the  cowardly  son  of  a  rum- 
puncheon  that  I  sailed  with  put  back  — put  back,  sir,  into 
Port  of  Spain." 

[44] 


THE   CAPTAIN'S  PAPERS 

"Well,  I've  heard  of  him  myself,  in  England,"  said  the 
doctor.  "But  the  point  is,  had  he  money?" 

"Money!"  cried  the  squire.  "Have  you  heard  the  story  ? 
What  were  these  villains  after  but  money?  What  do  they 
care  for  but  money?  For  what  would  they  risk  their  rascal 
carcasses  but  money?" 

"That  we  shall  soon  know,"  replied  the  doctor.  "But 
you  are  so  confoundedly  hot-headed  and  exclamatory  that  I 
cannot  get  a  word  in.  What  I  want  to  know  is  this:  Sup- 
posing that  I  have  here  in  my  pocket  some  clue  to  where 
Flint  buried  his  treasure,  will  that  treasure  amount  to  much  ?" 

"Amount,  sir!"  cried  the  squire.  "It  will  amount  to 
this:  if  we  have  the  clue  you  talk  about,  I  fit  out  a  ship  in 
Bristol  dock,  and  take  you  and  Hawkins  here  along,  and 
I  '11  have  that  treasure  if  I  search  a  year." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  doctor.  "Now,  then,  if  Jim  is 
agreeable,  we  '11  open  the  packet;"  and  he  laid  it  before 
him  on  the  table. 

The  bundle  was  sewn  together,  and  the  doctor  had  to 
get  out  his  instrument-case,  and  cut  the  stitches  with  his 
medical  scissors.  It  contained  two  things  —  a  book  and  a 
sealed  paper. 

"First  of  all  we  '11  try  the  book,"  observed  the  doctor. 

The  squire  and  I  were  both  peering  over  his  shoulder  as 
he  opened  it,  for  Dr.  Livesey  had  kindly  motioned  me  to 
come  round  from  the  side-table,  where  I  had  been  eating,  to 
enjoy  the  sport  of  the  search.  On  the  first  page  there  were 
only  some  scraps  of  writing,  such  as  a  man  with  a  pen  in 
his  hand  might  make  for  idleness  or  practice.  One  was  the 

[45] 


TREASURE   ISLAND 

same  as  the  tattoo  mark,  "Billy  Bones  his  fancy";  then  there 
was  "Mr.  W.  Bones,  mate."  "No  more  rum."  "Off  Palm 
Key  he  got  itt";  and  some  other  snatches,  mostly  single 
words  and  unintelligible.  I  could  not  help  wondering  who 
it  was  that  had  "got  itt,"  and  what  "itt"  was  that  he  got. 
A  knife  in  his  back  as  like  as  not. 

"Not  much  instruction  there,"  said  Dr.  Livesey,  as  he 
passed  on. 

The  next  ten  or  twelve  pages  were  filled  with  a  curious 
series  of  entries.  There  was  a  date  at  one  end  of  the  line 
and  at  the  other  a  sum  of  money,  as  in  common  account- 
books  ;  but  instead  of  explanatory  writing,  only  a  varying  num- 
ber of  crosses  between  the  two.  On  the  12th  of  June,  1745, 
for  instance,  a  sum  of  seventy  pounds  had  plainly  become  due 
to  some  one,  and  there  was  nothing  but  six  crosses  to  explain 
the  cause.  In  a  few  cases,  to  be  sure,  the  name  of  a  place 
would  be  added,  as  "Offe  Caraccas";  or  a  mere  entry  of 
latitude  and  longitude,  as  "62°  11'  20",  19°  2'  40"." 

The  record  lasted  over  nearly  twenty  years,  the  amount 
of  the  separate  entries  growing  larger  as  time  went  on,  and 
at  the  end  a  grand  total  had  been  made  out  after  five  or  six 
wrong  additions,  and  these  words  appended  "Bones,  his  pile." 

"I  can't  make  head  or  tail  of  this,"  said  Dr.  Livesey. 

"The  thing  is  as  clear  as  noonday,"  cried  the  squire. 
"This  is  the  black-hearted  hound's  account-book.  These 
crosses  stand  for  the  names  of  ships  or  towns  that  they  sank 
or  plundered.  The  sums  are  the  scoundrel's  share,  and  where 
he  feared  an  ambiguity,  you  see  he  added  something  clearer. 
'Offe  Caraccas/  now;  you  see,  here  was  some  unhappy 

[46] 


THE   CAPTAIN'S  PAPERS 

vessel  boarded  off  that  coast.     God  help  the  poor  souls  that 
manned  her  —  coral  long  ago." 

"Right!"  said  the  doctor.  "See  what  it  is  to  be  a  travel- 
ler. Right!  And  the  amounts  increase,  you  see,  as  he  rose 
in  rank." 

There  was  little  else  in  the  volume  out  a  few  bearings  of 
places  noted  in  the  blank  leaves  towards  the  end,  and  a  table 
for  reducing  French,  English,  and  Spanish  moneys  to  a  com- 
mon value. 

"Thrifty  man!"  cried  the  doctor.  "He  wasn't  the  one 
to  be  cheated." 

"And  now,"  said  the  squire,  "for  the  other." 

The  paper  had  been  sealed  in  several  places  with  a  thimble 
by  way  of  seal;  the  very  thimble,  perhaps,  that  I  had  found 
in  the  captain's  pocket.  The  doctor  opened  the  seals  with 
great  care,  and  there  fell  out  the  map  of  an  island,  with  lati- 
tude and  longitude,  soundings,  names  of  hills,  and  bays  and 
inlets,  and  every  particular  that  would  be  needed  to  bring  a 
ship  to  a  safe  anchorage  upon  its  shores.  It  was  about  nine 
miles  long  and  five  across,  shaped,  you  might  say,  like  a  fat 
dragon  standing  up,  and  had  two  fine  land-locked  harbours, 
and  a  hill  in  the  centre  part  marked  "The  Spy-glass."  There 
were  several  additions  of  a  later  date;  but,  above  all,  three 
crosses  of  red  ink  —  two  on  the  north  part  of  the  island,  one 
in  the  south-west,  and,  beside  this  last,  in  the  same  red  ink, 
and  in  a  small,  neat  hand,  very  different  from  the  captain's 
tottery  characters,  these  words:  "Bulk  of  treasure  here." 

Over  on  the  back  the  same  hand  had  written  this  further 
information : 

[47] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

"Tall  tree,  Spy-glass  shoulder,  bearing  a  point  to  the  N.  of  N.  N.  E. 

"Skeleton  Island  E.  S.  E.  and  by  E. 

"Ten  feet. 

"The  bar  silver  is  in  the  north  cache;  you  can  find  it  by  the  trend 
of  the  east  hummock,  ten  fathoms  south  of  the  black  crag  with  the  face 
on  it. 

"The  arms  are  easy  found,  in  the  sandhill,  N.  point  of  north  inlet 
cape,  bearing  E.  and  a  quarter  N. 

"J.  F." 

That  was  all;  but  brief  as  it  was,  and,  to  me,  incompre- 
hensible, it  filled  the  squire  and  Dr.  Livesey  with  delight. 

"Livesey,"  said  the  squire,  "you  will  give  up  this  wretched 
practice  at  once.  To-morrow  I  start  for  Bristol.  In  three 
weeks'  time  —  three  weeks !  —  two  weeks  —  ten  days  —  we  '11 
have  the  best  ship,  sir,  and  the  choicest  crew  in  England. 
Hawkins  shall  come  as  cabin-boy.  You  '11  make  a  famous 
cabin-boy,  Hawkins.  You,  Livesey,  are  ship's  doctor;  I  am 
admiral.  We  '11  take  Redruth,  Joyce,  and  Hunter.  We  '11 
have  favourable  winds,  a  quick  passage,  and  not  the  least 
difficulty  in  finding  the  spot,  and  money  to  eat  —  to  roll  in  — 
to  play  duck  and  drake  with  ever  after." 

"Trelawney,"  said  the  doctor,  "I'll  go  with  you;  and 
I  '11  go  bail  for  it,  so  will  Jim,  and  be  a  credit  to  the  under- 
taking. There  's  only  one  man  I  'm  afraid  of." 

"And  who's  that?"  cried  the  squire.  "Name  the  dog, 
sir!" 

"You,"  replied  the  doctor;  "for  you  cannot  hold  your 
tongue.  We  are  not  the  only  men  who  know  of  this  paper. 
These  fellows  who  attacked  the  inn  to-night  —  bold,  desper- 
ate blades,  for  sure  —  and  the  rest  who  stayed  aboard  that 

[48] 


THE   CAPTAIN'S  PAPERS 

lugger,  and  more,  I  dare  say,  not  far  off,  are,  one  and  all, 
through  thick  and  thin,  bound  that  they  '11  get  that  money. 
We  must  none  of  us  go  alone  till  we  get  to  sea.  Jim  and  I 
shall  stick  together  in  the  meanwhile :  you  '11  take  Joyce  and 
Hunter  when  you  ride  to  Bristol,  and,  from  first  to  last,  not 
one  of  us  must  breathe  a  word  of  what  we  've  found." 

"Livesey,"  returned  the  squire,  "you  are  always  in  the 
right  of  it.     I  '11  be  as  silent  as  the  grave." 


[49] 


PART  II 
THE  SEA  COOK 


CHAPTER  VII 
I  GO  TO  BRISTOL 

IT  was  longer  than  the  squire  imagined  ere  we  were 
ready  for  the  sea,  and  none  of  our  first  plans  —  not 
even  Dr.  Livesey's,  of  keeping  me  beside  him  —  could 
be  carried  out  as  we  intended.  The  doctor  had  to  go  to 
London  for  a  physician  to  take  charge  of  his  practice;  the 
squire  was  hard  at  work  at  Bristol;  and  I  lived  on  at  the 
Hall  under  the  charge  of  old  Redruth,  the  gamekeeper,  almost 
a  prisoner,  but  full  of  sea-dreams  and  the  most  charming 
anticipations  of  strange  islands  and  adventures.  I  brooded 
by  the  hour  together  over  the  map,  all  the  details  of  which  I 
well  remembered.  Sitting  by  the  fire  in  the  housekeeper's 
room,  I  approached  that  island  in  my  fancy,  from  every  pos- 
sible direction;  I  explored  every  acre  of  its  surface;  I  climbed 
a  thousand  times  to  that  tall  hill  they  call  the  Spy-glass,  and 
from  the  top  enjoyed  the  most  wonderful  and  changing  pros- 
pects. Sometimes  the  isle  was  thick  with  savages,  with 
whom  we  fought;  sometimes  full  of  dangerous  animals  that 
hunted  us;  but  in  all  my  fancies  nothing  occurred  to  me  so 
strange  and  tragic  as  our  actual  adventures. 

So  the  weeks  passed  on,  till  one  fine  day  there  came  a 
letter  addressed  to  Dr.  Livesey,  with  this  addition,  "To  be 
opened,  in  the  case  of  his  absence,  by  Tom  Redruth  or  young 

[53] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

Hawkins."  Obeying  this  order,  we  found,  or  rather,  I  found 
—  for  the  gamekeeper  was  a  poor  hand  at  reading  anything 
but  print  —  the  following  important  news : 

"Old  Anchor  Inn,  Bristol,  March  1,  17—. 

"  DEAR  LIVESEY,  —  As  I  do  not  know  whether  you  are  at  the  Hall 
or  still  in  London,  I  send  this  in  double  to  both  places. 

"The  ship  is  bought  and  fitted.  She  lies  at  anchor,  ready  for  sea. 
You  never  imagined  a  sweeter  schooner  —  a  child  might  sail  her  —  two 
hundred  tons;  name,  Hispaniola. 

"I  got  her  through  my  old  friend,  Blandly,  who  has  proved  himself 
throughout  the  most  surprising  trump.  The  admirable  fellow  literally 
slaved  in  my  interest,  and  so,  I  may  say,  did  every  one  in  Bristol,  as 
soon  as  they  got  wind  of  the  port  we  sailed  for  —  treasure,  I  mean." 

"Redruth,"  said  I,  interrupting  the  letter,  "Dr.  Livesey 
will  not  like  that.  The  squire  has  been  talking,  after  all." 

"Well,  who  's  a  better  right?"  growled  the  gamekeeper. 
"A  pretty  rum  go  if  squire  ain't  to  talk  for  Dr.  Livesey,  I 
should  think." 

At  that  I  gave  up  all  attempt  at  commentary,  and  read 
straight  on: 

"Blandly  himself  found  the  Hispaniola,  and  by  the  most  admi- 
rable management  got  her  for  the  merest  trifle.  There  is  a  class  of  men 
in  Bristol  monstrously  prejudiced  against  Blandly.  They  go  the  length 
of  declaring  that  this  honest  creature  would  do  anything  for  money, 
that  the  Hispaniola  belonged  to  him,  and  that  he  sold  to  me  absurdly 
high  —  the  most  transparent  calumnies.  None  of  them  dare,  however, 
to  deny  the  merits  of  the  ship. 

"So  far  there  was  not  a  hitch.  The  workpeople,  to  be  sure  —  riggers 
and  what  not  — -  were  most  annoy ingly  slow;  but  time  cured  that.  It 
was  the  crew  that  troubled  me. 

[54] 


I  GO  TO  BRISTOL 

"  I  wished  a  round  score  of  men  —  in  case  of  natives,  buccaneers, 
or  the  odious  French  —  and  I  had  the  worry  of  the  deuce  itself  to  find 
so  much  as  half  a  dozen,  till  the  most  remarkable  stroke  of  fortune 
brought  me  the  very  man  that  I  required. 

"I  was  standing  on  the  dock,  when,  by  the  merest  accident,  I  fell  in 
talk  with  him.  I  found  he  was  an  old  sailor,  kept  a  public-house,  knew 
all  the  seafaring  men  in  Bristol,  had  lost  his  health  ashore,  and  wanted 
a  good  berth  as  cook  to  get  to  sea  again.  He  had  hobbled  down  there 
that  morning,  he  said,  to  get  a  smell  of  the  salt. 

"I  was  monstrously  touched  —  so  would  you  have  been  —  and,  out 
of  pure  pity,  I  engaged  him  on  the  spot  to  be  ship's  cook.  Long  John 
Silver  he  is  called,  and  has  lost  a  leg;  but  that  I  regarded  as  a  recom- 
mendation, since  he  lost  it  in  his  country's  service,  under  the  immortal 
Hawke.  He  has  no  pension,  Livesey.  Imagine  the  abominable  age 
we  live  in! 

"Well,  sir,  I  thought  I  had  only  found  a  cook,  but  it  was  a  crew 
I  had  discovered.  Between  Silver  and  myself  we  got  together  in  a  few 
days  a  company  of  the  toughest  old  salts  imaginable  —  not  pretty  to 
look  at,  but  fellows,  by  their  faces,  of  the  most  indomitable  spirit.  I 
declare  we  could  fight  a  frigate. 

"  Long  John  even  got  rid  of  two  out  of  the  six  or  seven  I  had  already 
engaged.  He  showed  me  in  a  moment  that  they  were  just  the  sort  of 
fresh-water  swabs  we  had  to  fear  in  an  adventure  of  importance. 

"I  am  in  the  most  magnificent  health  and  spirits,  eating  like  a  bull, 
sleeping  like  a  tree,  yet  I  shall  not  enjoy  a  moment  till  I  hear  my  old 
tarpaulins  tramping  round  the  capstan.  Seaward  ho!  Hang  the  treas- 
ure! It  's  the  glory  of  the  sea  that  has  turned  my  head.  So  now,  Live- 
sey, come  post;  do  not  lose  an  hour,  if  you  respect  me. 

"Let  young  Hawkins  go  at  once  to  see  his  mother,  with  Redruth  for 
a  guard;  and  then  both  come  full  speed  to  Bristol. 

"JOHN  TRELAWNEY. 

"Postscript.  —  I  did  not  tell  you  that  Blandly,  who,  by  the  way,  is  to 
send  a  consort  after  us  if  we  don't  turn  up  by  the  end  of  August,  had  found 
an  admirable  fellow  for  sailing-master  —  a  stiff  man,  which  I  regret, 
but,  in  all  other  respects,  a  treasure.  Long  John  Silver  unearthed  a 

[55] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

very  competent  man  for  a  mate,  a  man  named  Arrow.  I  have  a  boat- 
swain who  pipes,  Livesey;  so  things  shall  go  man-o'-war  fashion  on 
board  the  good  ship  Hispaniola. 

"I  forgot  to  tell  you  that  Silver  is  a  man  of  substance;  I  know  of  my 
own  knowledge  that  he  has  a  banker's  account,  which  has  never  been 
overdrawn.  He  leaves  his  wife  to  manage  the  inn;  and  as  she  is  a 
woman  of  colour,  a  pair  of  old  bachelors  like  you  and  I  may  be  excused 
for  guessing,  that  it  is  the  wife,  quite  as  much  as  the  health,  that  sends 
him  back  to  roving. 

"J.  T. 

"P.  P.  S.  —  Hawkins  may  stay  one  night  with  his  mother. 

"J.  T.' 

You  can  fancy  the  excitement  into  which  that  letter  put 
me.  I  was  half  beside  myself  with  glee;  and  if  ever  I  de- 
spised a  man,  it  was  old  Tom  Redruth,  who  could  do  nothing 
but  grumble  and  lament.  Any  of  the  under-gamekeepers 
would  gladly  have  changed  places  with  him;  but  such  was 
not  the  squire's  pleasure,  and  the  squire's  pleasure  was  like 
law  among  them  all.  Nobody  but  old  Redruth  would  have 
dared  so  much  as  even  to  grumble. 

The  next  morning  he  and  I  set  out  on  foot  for  the  "Admiral 
Benbow,"  and  there  I  found  my  mother  in  good  health  and 
spirits.  The  captain,  who  had  so  long  been  a  cause  of  so 
much  discomfort,  was  gone  where  the  wicked  cease  from 
troubling.  The  squire  had  had  everything  repaired,  and  the 
public  rooms  and  the  sign  repainted,  and  had  added  some 
furniture  —  above  all  a  beautiful  arm-chair  for  mother  in  the 
bar.  He  had  found  her  a  boy  as  an  apprentice  also,  so  that 
she  should  not  want  help  while  I  was  gone. 

It  was  on  seeing  that  boy  that  I  understood,  for  the  first 
time,  my  situation.  I  had  thought  up  to  that  moment  of  the 

[56] 


I  GO  TO  BRISTOL 

adventures  before  me,  not  at  all  of  the  home  that  I  was  leav- 
ing; and  now,  at  sight  of  this  clumsy  stranger,  who  was  to 
stay  here  in  my  place  beside  my  mother,  I  had  my  first  attack 
of  tears.  I  am  afraid  I  led  that  boy  a  dog's  life;  for  as  he 
was  new  to  the  work,  I  had  a  hundred  opportunities  of  set- 
ting him  right  and  putting  him  down,  and  I  was  not  slow  to 
profit  by  them. 

The  night  passed,  and  the  next  day,  after  dinner,  Red- 
ruth  and  I  were  afoot  again,  and  on  the  road.  I  said  good- 
bye to  mother  and  the  cove  where  I  had  lived  since  I  was 
born,  and  the  dear  old  "Admiral  Benbow" —  since  he  was 
repainted,  no  longer  quite  so  dear.  One  of  my  last  thoughts 
was  of  the  captain,  who  had  so  often  strode  along  the  beach 
with  his  cocked  hat,  his  sabre-cut  cheek,  and  his  old  brass 
telescope.  Next  moment  we  had  turned  the  corner,  and  my 
home  was  out  of  sight. 

The  mail  picked  us  up  about  dusk  at  the  "Royal  George" 
on  the  heath.  I  was  wedged  in  between  Redruth  and  a 
stout  old  gentleman,  and  in  spite  of  the  swift  motion  and  the 
cold  night  air,  I  must  have  dozed  a  great  deal  from  the  very 
first,  and  then  slept  like  a  log  up  hill  and  down  dale  through 
stage  after  stage;  for  when  I  was  awakened,  at  last,  it  was 
by  a  punch  in  the  ribs,  and  I  opened  my  eyes,  to  find  that 
we  were  standing  still  before  a  large  building  in  a  city  street, 
and  that  the  day  had  already  broken  a  long  time. 

"Where  are  we?"  I  asked. 

"Bristol,"  said  Tom.     "Get  down." 

Mr.  Trelawney  had  taken  up  his  residence  at  an  inn  far 
down  the  docks,  to  superintend  the  work  upon  the  schooner. 

[57] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

Thither  we  had  now  to  walk,  and  our  way,  to  my  great  de- 
light, lay  along  the  quays  and  beside  the  great  multitude  of 
ships  of  all  sizes  and  rigs  and  nations.  In  one,  sailors  were 
singing  at  their  work;  in  another,  there  were  men  aloft,  high 
over  my  head,  hanging  to  threads  that  seemed  no  thicker 
than  a  spider's.  Though  I  had  lived  by  the  shore  all  my 
life,  I  seemed  never  to  have  been  near  the  sea  till  then.  The 
smell  of  tar  and  salt  was  something  new.  I  saw  the  most 
wonderful  figureheads,  that  had  all  been  far  over  the  ocean. 
I  saw,  besides,  many  old  sailors,  with  rings  in  their  ears,  and 
whiskers  curled  in  ringlets,  and  tarry  pigtails,  and  their  swag- 
gering, clumsy  sea-walk;  and  if  I  had  seen  as  many  kings 
or  archbishops  I  could  not  have  been  more  delighted. 

And  I  was  going  to  sea  myself;  to  sea  in  a  schooner,  with 
a  piping  boatswain,  and  pig-tailed  singing  seamen;  to  sea, 
bound  for  an  unknown  island,  and  to  seek  for  buried  treasures ! 

While  I  was  still  in  this  delightful  dream,  we  came  sud- 
denly in  front  of  a  large  inn,  and  met  Squire  Trelawney,  all 
dressed  out  like  a  sea-officer,  in  stout  blue  cloth,  coming  out 
of  the  door  with  a  smile  on  his  face,  and  a  capital  imitation 
of  a  sailor's  walk. 

"Here  you  are,"  he  cried,  "and  the  doctor  came  last  night 
from  London.  Bravo!  the  ship's  company  complete!" 

"Oh,  sir,"  cried  I,  "when  do  we  sail  ?" 

"Sail!"  says  he.     "We  sail  to-morrow!" 


[58] 


CHAPTER  VIII 
AT  THE  SIGN  OF  THE  "SPY-GLASS" 

"W '^TT'T^HEN  I  had  done  breakfasting  the  squire  gave  me  a 
%/L/  note  addressed  to  John  Silver,  at  the  sign  of  the 

:  "Spy-glass,"  and  told  me  I  should  easily  find  the 

place  by  following  the  line  of  the  docks,  and  keeping  a  bright 
look-out  for  a  little  tavern  with  a  large  brass  telescope  for 
sign.  I  set  off,  overjoyed  at  this  opportunity  to  see  some  more 
of  the  ships  and  seamen,  and  picked  my  way  among  a  great 
crowd  of  people  and  carts  and  bales,  for  the  dock  was  now 
at  its  busiest,  until  I  found  the  tavern  in  question. 

It  was  a  bright  enough  little  place  of  entertainment.  The 
sign  was  newly  painted;  the  windows  had  neat  red  curtains; 
the  floor  was  cleanly  sanded.  There  was  a  street  on  each 
side,  and  an  open  door  on  both,  which  made  the  large,  low 
room  pretty  clear  to  see  in,  in  spite  of  clouds  of  tobacco 
smoke. 

The  customers  were  mostly  seafaring  men;  and  they 
talked  so  loudly  that  I  hung  at  the  door,  almost  afraid  to 
enter. 

As  I  was  waiting,  a  man  came  out  of  a  side  room,  and, 
at  a  glance,  I  was  sure  he  must  be  Long  John.  His  left  leg 
was  cut  off  close  by  the  hip,  and  under  the  left  shoulder  he 
carried  a  crutch,  which  he  managed  with  wonderful  dexterity, 

[59] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

hopping  about  upon  it  like  a  bird.  He  was  very  tall  and 
strong,  with  a  face  as  big  as  a  ham  —  plain  and  pale,  but 
intelligent  and  smiling.  Indeed,  he  seemed  in  the  most  cheer- 
ful spirits,  whistling  as  he  moved  about  among  the  tables, 
with  a  merry  word  or  a  slap  on  the  shoulder  for  the  more 
favoured  of  his  guests. 

Now,  to  tell  you  the  truth,  from  the  very  first  mention 
of  Long  John  in  Squire  Trelawney's  letter,  I  had  taken  a 
fear  in  my  mind  that  he  might  prove  to  be  the  very  one-legged 
sailor  whom  I  had  watched  for  so  long  at  the  old  "Benbow." 
But  one  look  at  the  man  before  me  was  enough.  I  had  seen 
the  captain,  and  Black  Dog,  and  the  blind  man  Pew,  and  I 
thought  I  knew  what  a  buccaneer  was  like  —  a  very  different 
creature,  according  to  me,  from  this  clean  and  pleasant-tem- 
pered landlord. 

I  plucked  up  courage  at  once,  crossed  the  threshold,  and 
walked  right  up  to  the  man  where  he  stood,  propped  on  his 
crutch,  talking  to  a  customer. 

"Mr.  Silver,  sir?"  I  asked,  holding  out  the  note. 

"Yes,  my  lad,"  said  he;  "such  is  my  name,  to  be  sure. 
And  who  may  you  be?"  And  then  as  he  saw  the  squire's 
letter,  he  seemed  to  me  to  give  something  almost  like  a  start. 

"Oh!"  said  he,  quite  loud,  and  offering  his  hand,  "I  see. 
You  are  our  new  cabin-boy;  pleased  I  am  to  see  you." 

And  he  took  my  hand  in  his  large  firm  grasp. 

Just  then  one  of  the  customers  at  the  far  side  rose  sud- 
denly and  made  for  the  door.  It  was  close  by  him,  and  he 
was  out  in  the  street  in  a  moment.  But  his  hurry  had  at- 
tracted my  notice,  and  I  recognised  him  at  a  glance.  It  was 

[60] 


AT  THE  SIGN  OF  THE  "SPY-GLASS" 

the  tallow-faced  man,  wanting  two  fingers,  who  had  come 
first  to  the  "Admiral  Benbow." 

"Oh,"  I  cried,  "stop  him!  it's  Black  Dog!" 

"I  don't  care  two  coppers  who  he  is,"  cried  Silver.  "But 
he  hasn't  paid  his  score.  Harry,  run  and  catch  him." 

One  of  the  others  who  was  nearest  the  door  leaped  up, 
and  started  in  pursuit. 

"If  he  were  Admiral  Hawke  he  shall  pay  his  score,"  cried 
Silver;  and  then,  relinquishing  my  hand  —  "Who  did  you 
say  he  was?"  he  asked.  "Black  what?" 

"Dog,  sir,"  said  I.  "Has  Mr.  Trelawney  not  told  you 
of  the  buccaneers  ?  He  was  one  of  them." 

"So?"  cried  Silver.  "In  my  house!  Ben,  run  and  help 
Harry.  One  of  those  swabs,  was  he  ?  Was  that  you  drink- 
ing with  him,  Morgan?  Step  up  here." 

The  man  whom  he  called  Morgan  —  an  old,  grey-haired, 
mahogany-faced  sailor  —  came  forward  pretty  sheepishly,  roll- 
ing his  quid. 

"Now,  Morgan,"  said  Long  John,  very  sternly;  "you 
never  clapped  your  eyes  on  that  Black  —  Black  Dog  before, 
did  you  now?" 

"Not  I,  sir,"  said  Morgan,  with  a  salute. 

"You  didn't  know  his  name,  did  you?" 

"No,  sir." 

,By  the  powers,  Tom  Morgan,  it's  as  good  for  you!" 
exclaimed  the  landlord.  "If  you  had  been  mixed  up  with 
the  like  of  that,  you  would  never  have  put  another  foot  in 
my  house,  you  may  lay  to  that.  And  what  was  he  saying  to 
you?" 

[61] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

"I  don't  rightly  know,  sir,"  answered  Morgan. 

"Do  you  call  that  a  head  on  your  shoulders,  or  a  blessed 
dead-eye?"  cried  Long  John.  "Don't  rightly  know,  don't 
you!  Perhaps  you  don't  happen  to  rightly  know  who  you 
was  speaking  to,  perhaps?  Come,  now,  what  was  he  jaw- 
ing—  v'yages,  cap'ns,  ships?  Pipe  up!  What  was  it?" 

"We  was  a-talkin'  of  keel-hauling,"  answered  Morgan. 

"Keel-hauling,  was  you?  and  a  mighty  suitable  thing, 
too,  and  you  may  lay  to  that.  Get  back  to  your  place  for 
a  lubber,  Tom." 

And  then,  as  Morgan  rolled  back  to  his  seat,  Silver  added 
to  me  in  a  confidential  whisper,  that  was  very  flattering,  as  I 
thought : 

He  's  quite  an  honest  man,  Tom  Morgan,  on'y  stupid. 
And  now,"  he  ran  on  again,  aloud,  "let's  see  —  Black  Dog? 
No,  I  don't  know  the  name,  not  I.  Yet  I  kind  of  think  I  've 
—  yes,  I  've  seen  the  swab.  He  used  to  come  here  with  a 
blind  beggar,  he  used." 

"That  he  did,  you  may  be  sure,"  said  I.  "I  knew  that 
blind  man,  too.  His  name  was  Pew." 

"It  was!"  cried  Silver,  now  quite  excited.  "Pew!  That 
were  his  name  for  certain.  Ah,  he  looked  a  shark,  he  did! 
If  we  run  down  this  Black  Dog,  now,  there  '11  be  news  for 
Cap'n  Trelawney!  Ben  's  a  good  runner;  few  seamen  run 
better  than  Ben.  He  should  run  him  down,  hand  over  hand, 
by  the  powers !  He  talked  o'  keel-hauling,  did  he  ?  I  'II 
keel-haul  him!" 

All  the  time  he  was  jerking  out  these  phrases  he  was 
stumping  up  and  down  the  tavern  on  his  crutch,  slapping 

[62] 


AT  THE  SIGN  OF  THE  "SPY-GLASS" 

tables  with  his  hand,  and  giving  such  a  show  of  excitement 
as  would  have  convinced  an  Old  Bailey  judge  or  a  Bow  Street 
runner.  My  suspicions  had  been  thoroughly  reawakened  on 
finding  Black  Dog  at  the  "Spy-glass,"  and  I  watched  the 
cook  narrowly.  But  he  was  too  deep,  and  too  ready,  and 
too  clever  for  me,  and  by  the  time  the  two  men  had  come 
back  out  of  breath,  and  confessed  that  they  had  lost  the  track 
in  a  crowd,  and  been  scolded  like  thieves,  I  would  have  gone 
bail  for  the  innocence  of  Long  John  Silver. 

"See  here,  now,  Hawkins,"  said  he,  "here's  a  blessed 
hard  thing  on  a  man  like  me,  now,  ain't  it  ?  There  's  Cap'n 
Trelawrney  —  what 's  he  to  think  ?  Here  I  have  this  con- 
founded son  of  a  Dutchman  sitting  in  my  own  house,  drinking 
of  my  own  rum!  Here  you  comes  and  tells  me  of  it  plain; 
and  here  I  let  him  give  us  all  the  slip  before  my  blessed  dead- 
lights! Now,  Hawkins,  you  do  me  justice  with  the  cap'n. 
You  're  a  lad,  you  are,  but  you  're  as  smart  as  paint.  I  see 
that  when  you  first  came  in.  Now,  here  it  is:  What  could 
I  do,  with  this  old  timber  I  hobble  on  ?  When  I  was  an  A  B 
mariner  I  'd  have  come  up  alongside  of  him,  hand  over  hand, 
and  broached  him  to  in  a  brace  of  old  shakes,  I  would;  but 
now " 

And  then,  all  of  a  sudden,  he  stopped,  and  his  jaw  dropped 
as  though  he  had  remembered  something. 

"The  score!"  he  burst  out.  "Three  goes  o'  rum!  Why, 
shiver  my  timbers,  if  I  hadn't  forgotten  my  score!" 

And,  falling  on  a  bench,  he  laughed  until  the  tears  ran 
down  his  cheeks.  I  could  not  help  joining;  and  we  laughed 
together,  peal  after  peal,  until  the  tavern  rang  again. 

[63] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

"Why,  what  a  precious  old  sea-calf  I  am!"  he  said,  at 
last,  wiping  his  cheeks.  "You  and  me  should  get  on  well, 
Hawkins,  for  I  '11  take  my  davy  I  should  be  rated  ship's  boy. 
But,  come,  now,  stand  by  to  go  about.  This  won't  do. 
Dooty  is  dooty,  messmates.  I  '11  put  on  my  old  cocked  hat, 
and  step  along  of  you  to  Cap'n  Trelawney,  and  report  this 
here  affair.  For,  mind  you,  it's  serious,  young  Hawkins; 
and  neither  you  nor  me  's  come  out  of  it  with  what  I  should 
make  so  bold  as  to  call  credit.  Nor  you  neither,  says  you; 
not  smart  —  none  of  the  pair  of  us  smart.  But  dash  my  but- 
tons! that  was  a  good  'un  about  my  score." 

And  he  began  to  laugh  again,  and  that  so  heartily,  that 
though  I  did  not  see  the  joke  as  he  did,  I  was  again  obliged 
to  join  him  in  his  mirth. 

On  our  little  walk  along  the  quays,  he  made  himself  the 
most  interesting  companion,  telling  me  about  the  different 
ships  that  we  passed  by,  their  rig,  tonnage,  and  nationality, 
explaining  the  work  that  was  going  forward  —  how  one  was 
discharging,  another  taking  in  cargo,  and  a  third  making 
ready  for  sea;  and  every  now  and  then  telling  me  some  little 
anecdote  of  ships  or  seamen,  or  repeating  a  nautical  phrase 
till  I  had  learned  it  perfectly.  I  began  to  see  that  here  was 
one  of  the  best  of  possible  shipmates. 

When  we  got  to  the  inn,  the  squire  and  Dr.  Livesey  were 
seated  together,  finishing  a  quart  of  ale  with  a  toast  in  it, 
before  they  should  go  aboard  the  schooner  on  a  visit  of  in- 
spection. 

Long  John  told  the  story  from  first  to  last,  with  a  great 
deal  of  spirit  and  the  most  perfect  truth.  "That  was  how 

[64] 


AT  THE  SIGN  OF  THE  "SPY-GLASS" 

it  were,  now,  weren't  it,  Hawkins?"  he  would  say,  now  and 
again,  and  I  could  always  bear  him  entirely  out. 

The  two  gentlemen  regretted  that  Black  Dog  had  got 
away;  but  we  all  agreed  there  was  nothing  to  be  done,  and 
after  he  had  been  complimented,  Long  John  took  up  his 
crutch  and  departed. 

"All  hands  aboard  by  four  this  afternoon,"  shouted  the 
squire,  after  him. 

"Ay,  ay,  sir,"  cried  the  cook,  in  the  passage. 

"Well,  squire,"  said  Dr.  Livesey,  "I  don't  put  much  faith 
in  your  discoveries,  as  a  general  thing;  but  I  will  say  this, 
John  Silver  suits  me." 

"The  man  's  a  perfect  trump,"  declared  the  squire. 

"And  now,"  added  the  doctor,  "Jim  may  come  on  board 
with  us,  may  he  not?" 

"To  be  sure  he  may,"  says  squire.  "Take  your  hat, 
Hawkins,  and  we  '11  see  the  ship." 


[65] 


CHAPTER  IX 
POWDER  AND  ARMS 

THE  Hispaniola  lay  some  way  out,  and  we  went  under 
the  figureheads  and  round  the  sterns  of  many  other 
ships,  and  their  cables  sometimes  grated  underneath 
our  keel,  and  sometimes  swung  above  us.  At  last,  however, 
we  got  alongside,  and  were  met  and  saluted  as  we  stepped 
aboard  by  the  mate,  Mr.  Arrow,  a  brown  old  sailor,  with 
earrings  in  his  ears  and  a  squint.  He  and  the  squire  were 
very  thick  and  friendly,  but  I  soon  observed  that  things  were 
not  the  same  between  Mr.  Trelawney  and  the  captain. 

This  last  was  a  sharp-looking  man,  who  seemed  angry 
with  everything  on  board,  and  was  soon  to  tell  us  why,  for 
we  had  hardly  got  down  into  the  cabin  when  a  sailor  followed 
us. 

"Captain  Smollett,  sir,  axing  to  speak  with  you,"  said  he. 

"I  am  always  at  the  captain's  orders.  Show  him  in," 
said  the  squire. 

The  captain,  who  was  close  behind  his  messenger,  entered 
at  once,  and  shut  the  door  behind  him. 

"Well,  Captain  Smollett,  what  have  you  to  say?  All 
well,  I  hope;  all  shipshape  and  seaworthy?" 

"Well,  sir,"  said  the  captain,  "better  speak  plain,  I  be- 
lieve, even  at  the  risk  of  offence.  I  don't  like  this  cruise; 

[66] 


POWDER  AND  ARMS 

I  don't  like  the  men ;  and  I  don't  like  my  officer.  That 's 
short  and  sweet." 

"Perhaps,  sir,  you  don't  like  the  ship?"  inquired  the 
squire,  very  angry,  as  I  could  see. 

"I  can't  speak  as  to  that,  sir,  not  having  seen  her  tried," 
said  the  captain.  "She  seems  a  clever  craft;  more  I  can't 
say." 

"Possibly,  sir,  you  may  not  like  your  employer,  either?" 
says  the  squire. 

But  here  Dr.  Livesey  cut  in. 

"Stay  a  bit,"  said  he,  "stay  a  bit.  No  use  of  such  ques- 
tions as  that  but  to  produce  ill-feeling.  The  captain  has 
said  too  much  or  he  has  said  too  little,  and  I  'm  bound  to 
say  that  I  require  an  explanation  of  his  words.  You  don't, 
you  say,  like  this  cruise.  Now,  why?" 

"I  was  engaged,  sir,  on  what  we  call  sealed  orders,  to 
sail  this  ship  for  that  gentleman  where  he  should  bid  me," 
said  the  captain.  "So  far  so  good.  But  now  I  find  that 
every  man  before  the  mast  knows  more  than  I  do.  I  don't 
call  that  fair,  now,  do  you  ?" 

"No,"  said  Dr.  Livesey,  "I  don't." 

"Next,"  said  the  captain,  "I  learn  we  are  going  after 
treasure  —  hear  it  from  my  own  hands,  mind  you.  Now, 
treasure  is  ticklish  work;  I  don't  like  treasure  voyages  on 
any  account;  and  I  don't  like  them,  above  all,  when  they 
are  secret,  and  when  (begging  your  pardon,  Mr.  Trelawney) 
the  secret  has  been  told  to  the  parrot." 

"Silver's  parrot?"  asked  the  squire. 

"It 's  a  way  of  speaking,"  said  the  captain.  "Blabbed,  I 
[67] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

mean.  It  's  my  belief  neither  of  you  gentlemen  know  what 
you  are  about;  but  I  '11  tell  you  my  way  of  it  —  life  or  death, 
and  a  close  run." 

"That  is  all  clear,  and,  I  dare  say,  true  enough,"  replied 
Dr.  Livesey.  "We  take  the  risk;  but  we  are  not  so  ignorant 
as  you  believe  us.  Next,  you  say  you  don't  like  the  crew. 
Are  they  not  good  seamen?" 

"I  don't  like  them,  sir,"  returned  Captain  Smollett. 
"And  I  think  I  should  have  had  the  choosing  of  my  own 
hands,  if  you  go  to  that." 

"Perhaps  you  should,"  replied  the  doctor.  "My  friend 
should,  perhaps,  have  taken  you  along  with  him;  but  the 
slight,  if  there  be  one,  was  unintentional.  And  you  don't  like 
Mr.  Arrow?" 

"I  don't  sir.  I  believe  he  's  a  good  seaman;  but  he  's  too 
free  with  the  crew  to  be  a  good  officer.  A  mate  should  keep 
himself  to  himself — shouldn't  drink  with  the  men  before  the 
mast!" 

"Do  you  mean  he  drinks  ?"  cried  the  squire. 

"No,  sir,"  replied  the  captain;  "only  that  he  's  too 
familiar." 

"Well,  now,  and  the  short  and  long  of  it,  captain  ?"  asked 
the  doctor.  "Tell  us  what  you  want." 

"Well,  gentlemen,  are  you  determined  to  go  on  this 
cruise?" 

"Like  iron,"  answered  the  squire. 

"Very  good,"  said  the  captain.  "Then,  as  you  've  heard 
me  very  patiently,  saying  things  that  I  could  not  prove,  hear 
me  a  few  words  more.  They  are  putting  the  powder  and  the 

[68] 


POWDER  AND  ARMS 

arms  in  the  fore  hold.  Now,  you  have  a  good  place  under 
the  cabin ;  why  not  put  them  there  ?  —  first '  point.  Then 
you  are  bringing  four  of  your  own  people  with  you,  and 
they  tell  me  some  of  them  are  to  be  berthed  forward.  Why  not 
give  them  the  berths  here  beside  the  cabin  ? — second  point." 

"Any  more?"  asked  Mr.  Trelawney. 

"One  more,"  said  the  captain.  "There  's  been  too  much 
blabbing  already." 

"Far  too  much,"  agreed  the  doctor. 

"I  '11  tell  you  what  I  've  heard  myself,"  continued  Captain 
Smollett:  "that  you  have  a  map  of  an  island;  that  there's 
crosses  on  the  map  to  show  where  treasure  is;  and  that  the 
island  lies  —  And  then  he  named  the  latitude  and 

longitude  exactly. 

"I  never  told  that,"  cried  the  squire,  "to  a  soul!" 

"The  hands  know  it,  sir,"  returned  the  captain. 

"Livesey,  that  must  have  been  you  or  Hawkins,"  cried 
the  squire. 

"It  doesn't  much  matter  who  it  was,"  replied  the  doctor. 
And  I  could  see  that  neither  he  nor  the  captain  paid  much 
regard  to  Mr.  Trelawney 's  protestations.  Neither  did  I,  to 
be  sure,  he  was  so  loose  a  talker;  yet  in  this  case  I  believe 
he  was  really  right,  and  that  nobody  had  told  the  situation 
of  the  island. 

"Well,  gentlemen,"  continued  the  captain,  "I  don't  know 
who  has  this  map;  but  I  make  it  a  point,  it  shall  be  kept 
secret  even  from  me  and  Mr.  Arrow.  Otherwise  I  would 
ask  you  to  let  me  resign." 

"I  see,"  said  the  doctor.  "You  wish  us  to  keep  this 
[69] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

matter  dark,  and  to  make  a  garrison  of  the  stern  part  of  the 
ship,  manned  with  my  friend's  own  people,  and  provided  with 
all  the  arms  and  powder  on  board.  In  other  words,  you 
fear  a  mutiny." 

"Sir,"  said  Captain  Smollett,  "with  no  intention  to  take 
offence,  I  deny  your  right  to  put  words  into  my  mouth.  No 
captain,  sir,  would  be  justified  in  going  to  sea  at  all  if  he  had 
ground  enough  to  say  that.  As  for  Mr.  Arrow,  I  believe 
him  thoroughly  honest;  some  of  the  men  are  the  same;  all 
may  be  for  what  I  know.  But  I  am  responsible  for  the 
ship's  safety  and  the  life  of  every  man  Jack  aboard  of  her. 
I  see  things  going,  as  I  think,  not  quite  right.  And  I  ask 
you  to  take  certain  precautions,  or  let  me  resign  my  berth. 
And  that 's  all." 

"Captain  Smollett,"  began  the  doctor,  with  a  smile,  "did 
ever  you  hear  the  fable  of  the  mountain  and  the  mouse  ? 
You  '11  excuse  me,  I  dare  say,  but  you  remind  me  of  that 
fable.  When  you  came  in  here  I  '11  stake  my  wig  you  meant 
more  than  this." 

"Doctor,"  said  the  captain,  "you  are  smart.  When  I 
came  in  here  I  meant  to  get  discharged.  I  had  no  thought 
that  Mr.  Trelawney  would  hear  a  word." 

"No  more  I  would,"  cried  the  squire.  "Had  Livesey 
not  been  here  I  should  have  seen  you  to  the  deuce.  As  it 
is,  I  have  heard  you.  I  will  do  as  you  desire;  but  I  think 
the  worse  of  you." 

"That's  as  you  please,  sir,"  said  the  captain.  "You'll 
find  I  do  my  duty." 

And  with  that  he  took  his  leave. 
[70] 


POWDER  AND  ARMS 

"Trelawney,"  said  the  doctor,  "contrary  to  all  my  no- 
tions, I  believe  you  have  managed  to  get  two  honest  men 
on  board  with  you  —  that  man  and  John  Silver." 

"Silver,  if  you  like,"  cried  the  squire;  "but  as  for  that 
intolerable  humbug,  I  declare  I  think  his  conduct  unmanly, 
unsailorly,  and  downright  un-English." 

"Well,"  says  the  doctor,  "we  shall  see." 

When  we  came  on  deck,  the  men  had  begun  already  to 
take  out  the  arms  and  powder,  yo-hoing  at  their  work,  while 
the  captain  and  Mr.  Arrow  stood  by  superintending. 

The  new  arrangement  was  quite  to  my  liking.  The 
whole  schooner  had  been  overhauled;  six  berths  had  been 
made  astern,  out  of  what  had  been  the  after-part  of  the  main 
hold;  and  this  set  of  cabins  was  only  joined  to  the  galley 
and  forecastle  by  a  sparred  passage  on  the  port  side.  It  had 
been  originally  meant  that  the  captain,  Mr.  Arrow,  Hunter, 
Joyce,  the  doctor,  and  the  squire,  were  to  occupy  these  six 
berths.  Now,  Redruth  and  I  were  to  get  two  of  them,  and 
Mr.  Arrow  and  the  captain  were  to  sleep  on  deck  in  the 
companion,  which  had  been  enlarged  on  each  side  till  you 
might  almost  have  called  it  a  round-house.  Very  low  it  was 
still,  of  course;  but  there  was  room  to  swing  two  hammocks, 
and  even  the  mate  seemed  pleased  with  the  arrangement. 
Even  he,  perhaps,  had  been  doubtful  as  to  the  crew,  but  that 
is  only  guess;  for,  as  you  shall  hear,  we  had  not  long  the 
benefit  of  his  opinion. 

We  were  all  hard  at  work,  changing  the  powder  and  the 
berths,  when  the  last  man  or  two,  and  Long  John  along  with 
them,  came  off  in  a  shore-boat. 

[71] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

The  cook  came  up  the  side  like  a  monkey  for  cleverness, 
and,  as  soon  as  he  saw  what  was  doing,  "So  ho,  mates!"  says 
he,  "what's  this?" 

"We  're  a-changing  of  the  powder,  Jack,"  answers  one. 

"Why,  by  the  powers,"  cried  Long  John,  "if  we  do,  we  '11 
miss  the  morning  tide!" 

"My  orders!"  said  the  captain  shortly.  "You  may  go 
below,  my  man.  Hands  will  want  supper." 

"Ay,  ay,  sir,"  answered  the  cook;  and,  touching  his  fore- 
lock, he  disappeared  at  once  in  the  direction  of  his  galley. 

"That 's  a  good  man,  captain,"  said  the  doctor. 

"Very  likely,  sir,"  replied  Captain  Smollett.  "Easy  with 
that,  men  —  easy,"  he  ran  on,  to  the  fellows  who  were  shifting 
the  powder;  and  then  suddenly  observing  me  examining  the 
swivel  we  carried  amidships,  a  long  brass  nine  —  "Here,  you 
ship's  boy,"  he  cried,  "out  o'  that!  Off  with  you  to  the  cook 
and  get  some  work." 

And  then  as  I  was  hurrying  off  I  heard  him  say,  quite 
loudly,  to  the  doctor: 

"I  '11  have  no  favourites  on  my  ship." 

I  assure  you  I  was  quite  of  the  squire's  way  of  thinking, 
and  hated  the  captain  deeply. 


[72] 


CHAPTER  X 
THE  VOYAGE 

AL  that  night  we  were  in  a  great  bustle  getting  things 
stowed  in  their  place,  and  boatfuls  of  the  squire's 
friends,  Mr.  Blandly  and  the  like,  coming  off  to 
wish  him  a  good  voyage  and  a  safe  return.  We  never  had  a 
night  at  the  "Admiral  Benbow"  when  I  had  half  the  work; 
and  I  was  dog-tired  when,  a  little  before  dawn,  the  boatswain 
sounded  his  pipe,  and  the  crew  began  to  man  the  capstan- 
bars.  I  might  have  been  twice  as  weary,  yet  I  would  not. 
have  left  the  deck ;  all  was  so  new  and  interesting  to  me  — 
the  brief  commands,  the  shrill  note  of  the  whistle,  the  men 
bustling  to  their  places  in  the  glimmer  of  the  ship's  lanterns. 

"Now,  Barbecue,  tip  us  a  stave,"  cried  one  voice. 

"The  old  one,"  cried  another. 

"Ay,  ay,  mates,"  said  Long  John,  who  was  standing  by, 
with  his  crutch  under  his  arm,  and  at  once  broke  out  in  the 
air  and  words  I  knew  so  well  — 

"Fifteen  men  on  the  dead  man's  chest"  — 
And  then  the  whole  crew  bore  chorus  — 

"Yo-ho-ho,  and  a  bottle  of  rum!" 

And  at  the  third  "ho!"  drive  the  bars  before  them  with  a  will. 
Even  at  that  exciting  moment  it  carried  me  back  to  the 
[73] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

old  "Admiral  Benbow"  in  a  second;  and  I  seemed  to  hear 
the  voice  of  the  captain  piping  in  the  chorus.  But  soon  the 
anchor  was  short  up;  soon  it  was  hanging  dripping  at  the 
bows;  soon  the  sails  began  to  draw,  and  the  land  and  ship- 
ping to  flit  by  on  either  side;  and  before  I  could  lie  down 
to  snatch  an  hour  of  slumber  the  Hispaniola  had  begun  her 
voyage  to  the  Isle  of  Treasure. 

I  am  not  going  to  relate  that  voyage  in  detail.  It  was  fairly 
prosperous.  The  ship  proved  to  be  a  good  ship,  the  crew 
were  capable  seamen,  and  the  captain  thoroughly  understood 
his  business.  But  before  we  came  the  length  of  Treasure 
Island,  two  or  three  things  had  happened  which  require  to 
be  known. 

Mr.  Arrow,  first  of  all,  turned  out  even  worse  than  the 
captain  had  feared.  He  had  no  command  among  the  men, 
and  people  did  what  they  pleased  with  him.  But  that  was 
by  no  means  the  worst  of  it;  for  after  a  day  or  two  at  sea  he 
began  to  appear  on  deck  with  hazy  eye,  red  cheeks,  stuttering 
tongue,  and  other  marks  of  drunkenness.  Time  after  time 
he  was  ordered  below  in  disgrace.  Sometimes  he  fell  and 
cut  himself;  sometimes  he  lay  all  day  long  in  his  little  bunk 
at  one  side  of  the  companion ;  sometimes  for  a  day  or  two  he 
would  be  almost  sober  and  attend  to  his  work  at  least  passably. 

In  the  meantime,  we  could  never  make  out  where  he  got 
the  drink.  That  was  the  ship's  mystery.  Watch  him  as 
we  pleased,  we  could  do  nothing  to  solve  it;  and  when  we 
asked  him  to  his  face,  he  would  only  laugh,  if  he  were  drunk, 
and  if  he  were  sober,  deny  solemnly  that  he  ever  tasted  any- 
thing but  water. 

[74] 


THE  VOYAGE 

f  f 

He  was  not  only  useless  as  an  officer,  and  a  bad  influence 

amongst  the  men,  but  it  was  plain  that  at  this  rate  he  must 
soon  kill  himself  outright;  so  nobody  was  much  surprised, 
nor  very  sorry,  when  one  dark  night,  with  a  head  sea,  he 
disappeared  entirely  and  was  seen  no  more. 

"Overboard!"  said  the  captain.  "Well,  gentlemen,  that 
saves  the  trouble  of  putting  him  in  irons." 

But  there  we  were,  without  a  mate;  and  it  was  necessary, 
of  course,  to  advance  one  of  the  men.  The  boatswain,  Job 
Anderson,  was  the  likeliest  nian  aboard,  and,  though  he  kept 
his  old  title,  he  served  in  a  way  as  mate.  Mr.  Trelawney  had 
followed  the  sea,  and  his  knowledge  made  him  very  useful, 
for  he  often  took  a  watch  himself  in  easy  weather.  And  the 
coxswain,  Israel  Hands,  was  a  careful,  wily,  old,  experienced 
seaman,  who  could  be  trusted  at  a  pinch  with  almost  anything. 

He  was  a  great  confidant  of  Long  John  Silver,  and  so 
the  mention  of  his  name  leads  me  on  to  speak  of  our  ship's 
cook,  Barbecue,  as  the  men  called  him. 

Aboard  ship  he  carried  his  crutch  by  a  lanyard  round 
his  neck,  to  have  both  hands  as  free  as  possible.  It  was 
something  to  see  him  wedge  the  foot  of  the  crutch  against 
a  bulkhead,  and,  propped  against  it,  yielding  to  every  move- 
ment of  the  ship,  get  on  with  his  cooking,  like  some  one  safe 
ashore.  Still  more  strange  was  it  to  see  him  in  the  heaviest 
of  weather  cross  the  deck.  He  had  a  line  or  two  rigged  up 
to  help  him  across  the  widest  spaces  —  Long  John's  earrings, 
they  were  called;  and  he  would  hand  himself  from  one  place 
to  another,  now  using  the  crutch,  now  trailing  it  alongside 
by  the  lanyard,  as  quickly  as  another  man  could  walk.  Yet 

[75] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

some  of  the  men  who  had  sailed  with  him  before  expressed 
their  pity  to  see  him  so  reduced. 

"He  's  no  common  man,  Barbecue,"  said  the  coxswain 
to  me.  "He  had  good  schooling  in  his  young  days,  and  can 
speak  like  a  book  when  so  minded ;  and  brave  —  a  lion  's 
nothing  alongside  of  Long  John!  I  seen  him  grapple  four, 
and  knock  their  heads  together  —  him  unarmed." 

All  the  crew  respected  and  even  obeyed  him.  He  had  a 
way  of  talking  to  each,  and  doing  everybody  some  particular 
service.  To  me  he  was  unweariedly  kind;  and  always  glad 
to  see  me  in  the  galley,  which  he  kept  as  clean  as  a  new  pin; 
the  dishes  hanging  up  burnished,  and  his  parrot  in  a  cage  in 
one  corner. 

"Come  away,  Hawkins,"  he  would  say;  "come  and  have 
a  yarn  with  John.  Nobody  more  welcome  than  yourself,  my 
son.  Sit  you  down  and  hear  the  news.  Here  's  Cap'n  Flint  — 
I  calls  my  parrot  Cap'n  Flint,  after  the  famous  buccaneer  — 
here  's  Cap'n  Flint  predicting  success  to  our  v'yage.  Wasn't 
you,  cap'n?" 

And  the  parrot  would  say,  with  great  rapidity,  "Pieces  of 
eight!  pieces  of  eight!  pieces  of  eight!"  till  you  wondered 
that  it  was  not  out  of  breath,  or  till  John  threw  his  handker- 
chief over  the  cage. 

"Now,  that  bird,"  he  would  say,  "is,  maybe,  two  hundred 
years  old,  Hawkins  —  they  lives  for  ever  mostly;  and  if  any- 
body's seen  more  wickedness,  it  must  be  the  devil  himself. 
She  's  sailed  with  England,  the  great  Cap'n  England,  the 
pirate.  She  's  been  at  Madagascar,  and  at  Malabar,  and 
Surinam,  and  Providence,  and  Portobello.  She  was  at  the 

[76] 


THE   VOYAGE 

fishing  up  of  the  wrecked  plate  ships.  It 's  there  she  learned 
'Pieces  of  eight,'  and  little  wonder;  three  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  of  'em,  Hawkins !  She  was  at  the  boarding  of  the 
Viceroy  of  the  Indies  out  of  Goa,  she  was;  and  to  look  at 
her  you  would  think  she  was  a  babby.  But  you  smelt  powder 
—  didn't  you,  cap'n?" 

"Stand  by  to  go  about,"  the  parrot  would  scream. 

"Ah,  she  's  a  handsome  craft,  she  is,"  the  cook  would 
say,  and  give  her  sugar  from  his  pocket,  and  then  the  bird 
would  peck  at  the  bars  and  swear  straight  on,  passing  belief 
for  wickedness.  "There,"  John  would  add,  "you  can't  touch 
pitch  and  not  be  mucked,  lad.  Here  's  this  poor  old  innocent 
bird  o'  mine  swearing  blue  fire,  and  none  the  wiser,  you  may 
lay  to  that.  She  would  swear  the  same,  in  a  manner  of  speak- 
ing, before  chaplain."  And  John  would  touch  his  forelock 
with  a  solemn  way  he  had,  that  made  me  think  he  was  the 
best  of  men. 

In  the  meantime,  the  squire  and  Captain  Smollett  were 
still  on  pretty  distant  terms  with  one  another.  The  squire 
made  no  bones  about  the  matter;  he  despised  the  captain. 
The  captain,  on  his  part,  never  spoke  but  when  he  was  spoken 
to,  and  then  sharp  and  short  and  dry,  and  not  a  word  wasted. 
He  owned,  when  driven  into  a  corner,  that  he  seemed  to 
have  been  wrong  about  the  crew,  that  some  of  them  were 
as  brisk  as  he  wanted  to  see,  and  all  had  behaved  fairly  well. 
As  for  the  ship,  he  had  taken  a  downright  fancy  to  her. 
"She  '11  lie  a  point  nearer  the  wind  than  a  man  has  a  right 
to  expect  of  his  own  married  wife,  sir.  But,"  he  would  add,  "all 
I  say  is  we  're  not  home  again,  and  I  don't  like  the  cruise." 

r  77  i 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

The  squire,  at  this,  would  turn  away  and  march  up  and 
down  the  deck,  chin  in  air. 

"A  trifle  more  of  that  man,'*  he  would  say,  "and  I  shall 
explode." 

We  had  some  heavy  weather,  which  only  proved  the 
qualities  of  the  Hispaniola.  Every  man  on  board  seemed 
well  content,  and  they  must  have  been  hard  to  please  if  they 
had  been  otherwise;  for  it  is  my  belief  there  was  never  a 
ship's  company  so  spoiled  since  Noah  put  to  sea.  Double 
grog  was  going  on  the  least  excuse;  there  was  duff  on  odd 
days,  as,  for  instance,  if  the  squire  heard  it  was  any  man's 
birthday;  and  always  a  barrel  of  apples  standing  broached 
in  the  waist,  for  any  one  to  help  himself  that  had  a  fancy. 

"Never  knew  good  come  of  it  yet,"  the  captain  said  to 
Dr.  Livesey.  "Spoil  foc's'le  hands,  make  devils.  That's 
my  belief." 

But  good  did  come  of  the  apple  barrel,  as  you  shall  hear; 
for  if  it  had  not  been  for  that,  we  should  have  had  no  note 
of  warning,  and  might  all  have  perished  by  the  hand  of 
treachery. 

This  was  how  it  came  about. 

We  had  run  up  the  trades  to  get  the  wind  of  the  island 
we  were  after  —  I  am  not  allowed  to  be  more  plain  —  and 
now  we  were  running  down  for  it  with  a  bright  look-out  day 
and  night.  It  was  about  the  last  day  of  our  outward  voyage, 
by  the  largest  computation;  some  time  that  night,  or,  at 
latest,  before  noon  of  the  morrow,  we  should  sight  the  Treas- 
ure Island.  We  were  heading  S.  S.  W.,  and  had  a  steady 
breeze  abeam  and  a  quiet  sea.  The  Hispaniola  rolled 

[78] 


THE  VOYAGE 

steadily,  dipping  her  bowsprit  now  and  then  with  a  whiff  of 
spray.  All  was  drawing  alow  and  aloft;  every  one  was  in 
the  bravest  spirits,  because  we  were  now  so  near  an  end  of 
the  first  part  of  our  adventure. 

Now,  just  after  sundown,  when  all  my  work  was  over, 
and  I  was  on  my  way  to  my  berth,  it  occurred  to  me  that  I 
should  like  an  apple.  I  ran  on  deck.  The  watch  was  all 
forward  looking  out  for  the  island.  The  man  at  the  helm 
was  watching  the  luff  of  the  sail,  and  whistling  away  gently 
to  himself;  and  that  was  the  only  sound  excepting  the  swish 
of  the  sea  against  the  bows  and  around  the  sides  of  the  ship. 

In  I  got  bodily  into  the  apple  barrel,  and  found  there 
was  scarce  an  apple  left;  but,  sitting  down  there  in  the  dark, 
what  with  the  sound  of  the  waters  and  the  rocking  movement 
of  the  ship,  I  had  either  fallen  asleep,  or  was  on  the  point 
of  doing  so,  when  a  heavy  man  sat  down  with  rather  a  clash 
close  by.  The  barrel  shook  as  he  leaned  his  shoulders  against 
it,  and  I  was  just  about  to  jump  up  when  the  man  began  to 
speak.  It  was  Silver's  voice,  and,  before  I  had  heard  a 
dozen  words,  I  would  not  have  shown  myself  for  all  the 
world,  but  lay  there,  trembling  and  listening,  in  the  extreme 
of  fear  and  curiosity;  for  from  these  dozen  words  I  under- 
stood that  the  lives  of  all  the  honest  men  aboard  depended 
upon  me  alone. 


[79] 


CHAPTER  XI 
WHAT  I  HEARD  IN  THE  APPLE  BARREL 

O,  not  I,^said  Silver.  "Flint  was  cap'n;  I  was 
quartermaster,  along  of  my  timber  leg.  The  same 
broadside  I  lost  my  leg,  old  Pew  lost  his  dead- 
lights. It  was  a  master  surgeon,  him  that  ampytated  me  — 
out  of  college  and  all  —  Latin  by  the  bucket,  and  what  not; 
but  he  was  hanged  like  a  dog,  and  sun-dried  like  the  rest,  at 
Corso  Castle.  That  was  Roberts*  men,  that  was,  and  corned 
of  changing  names  to  their  ships  —  Royal  Fortune  and  so  on. 
Now,  what  a  ship  was  christened,  so  let  her  stay,  I  says. 
So  it  was  with  the  Cassandra,  as  brought  us  all  safe  home 
from  Malabar,  after  England  took  the  Viceroy  of  the  Indies; 
so  it  was  with  the  old  Walrus,  Flint's  old  ship,  as  I  've  seen 
a-muck  with  the  red  blood  and  fit  to  sink  with  gold." 

"Ah!"  cried  another  voice,  that  of  the  youngest  hand  on 
board,  and  evidently  full  of  admiration,  "he  was  the  flower 
of  the  flock,  was  Flint!" 

"Davis  was  a  man,  too,  by  all  accounts,"  said  Silver. 
"I  never  sailed  along  of  him;  first  with  England,  then  with 
Flint,  that 's  my  story ;  and  now  here  on  my  account,  in  a 
manner  of  speaking.  I  laid  by  nine  hundred  safe,  from  Eng- 
land, and  two  thousand  after  Flint.  That  ain't  bad  for  a 
man  before  the  mast  —  all  safe  in  bank.  5T  ain't  earning 

[80] 


WHAT  I  HEARD  IN  THE  APPLE  BARREL 

now,  it 's  saving  does  it,  you  may  lay  to  that.  Where  's  all 
England's  men  now  ?  I  dunno.  Where 's  Flint's  ?  Why, 
most  on  'em  aboard  here,  and  glad  to  get  the  duff  —  been 
begging  before  that,  some  on  'em.  Old  Pew,  as  had  lost  his 
sight,  and  might  have  thought  shame,  spends  twelve  hundred 
pound  in  a  year,  like  a  lord  in  Parliament.  Where  is  he  now  ? 
Well,  he's  dead  now  and  under  hatches;  but  for  two  year 
before  that,  shiver  my  timbers!  the  man  was  starving.  He 
begged,  and  he  stole,  and  he  cut  throats,  and  starved  at  that, 
by  the  powers!" 

"Well,  it  ain't  much  use,  after  all,"  said  the  young  sea- 
man. 

!<  'T  ain't  much  use  for  fools,  you  may  lay  to  it  —  that, 
nor  nothing,"  cried  Silver.  "But  now,  you  look  here:  you  're 
young,  you  are,  but  you  're  as  smart  as  paint.  I  see  that 
when  I  set  my  eyes  on  you,  and  I  '11  talk  to  you  like  a  man." 

You  may  imagine  how  I  felt  when  I  heard  this  abomi- 
nable old  rogue  addressing  another  in  the  very  same  words  of 
flattery  as  he  had  used  to  myself.  I  think,  if  I  had  been 
able,  that  I  would  have  killed  him  through  the  barrel.  Mean- 
time, he  ran  on,  little  supposing  he  was  overheard. 

"Here  it  is  about  gentlemen  of  fortune.  They  lives  rough, 
and  they  risk  swinging,  but  they  eat  and  drink  like  fighting- 
cocks,  and  when  a  cruise  is  done,  why,  it 's  hundreds  of 
pounds  instead  of  hundreds  of  farthings  in  their  pockets. 
Now,  the  most  goes  for  rum  and  a  good  fling,  and  to  sea 
again  in  their  shirts.  But  that 's  not  the  course  I  lay.  I 
puts  it  all  away,  some  here,  some  there,  and  none  too  much 
anywheres,  by  reason  of  suspicion.  I'm  fifty,  mark  you; 

[81] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

once  back  from  this  cruise,  I  set  up  gentleman  in  earnest. 
Time  enough,  too,  says  you.  Ah,  but  I  've  lived  easy  in  the 
meantime;  never  denied  myself  o'  nothing  heart  desires,  and 
slep'  soft  and  ate  dainty  all  my  days,  but  when  at  sea.  And 
how  did  I  begin  ?  Before  the  mast,  like  you ! " 

"Well,"  said  the  other,  "but  all  the  other  money's  gone 
now,  ain't  it  ?  You  daren't  show  face  in  Bristol  after  this." 

"Why,  where  might  you  suppose  it  was?"  asked  Silver, 
derisively. 

"At  Bristol,  in  banks  and  places,"  answered  his  com- 
panion. 

"It  were,"  said  the  cook;  "it  were  when  we  weighed 
anchor.  But  my  old  missis  has  it  all  by  now.  And  the 
'Spy-glass'  is  sold,  lease  and  goodwill  and  rigging;  and  the 
old  girl 's  off  to  meet  me.  I  would  tell  you  where,  for  I 
trust  you;  but  it  'u'd  make  jealousy  among  the  mates." 

"And  can  you  trust  your  missis?"   asked  the  other. 

"Gentlemen  of  fortune,"  returned  the  cook,  "usually 
trusts  little  among  themselves,  and  right  they  are,  you  may 
lay  to  it.  But  I  have  a  way  with  me,  I  have.  When  a  mate 
brings  a  slip  on  his  cable  —  one  as  knows  me,  I  mean  —  it 
won't  be  in  the  same  world  with  old  John.  There  was  some 
that  was  feared  of  Pew,  and  some  that  was  feared  of  Flint; 
but  Flint  his  own  self  was  feared  of  me.  Feared  he  was, 
and  proud.  They  was  the  roughest  crew  afloat,  was  Flint's; 
the  devil  himself  would  have  been  feared  to  go  to  sea  with 
them.  Well,  now,  I  tell  you,  I  'm  not  a  boasting  man,  and 
you  seen  yourself  how  easy  I  keep  company;  but  when  I 
was  quartermaster,  lambs  wasn't  the  word  for  Flint's  old 

[82] 


WHAT  I  HEARD  IN  THE  APPLE  BARREL 

buccaneers.  Ah,  you  may  be  sure  of  yourself  in  old  John's 
ship." 

"Well,  I  tell  you  now,"  replied  the  lad,  "I  didn't  half  a 
quarter  like  the  job  till  I  had  this  talk  with  you,  John;  but 
there  's  my  hand  on  it  now." 

"And  a  brave  lad  you  were,  and  smart,  too,"  answered 
Silver,  shaking  hands  so  heartily  that  all  the  barrel  shook, 
"and  a  finer  figurehead  for  a  gentleman  of  fortune  I  never 
clapped  my  eyes  on." 

By  this  time  I  had  begun  to  understand  the  meaning  of 
their  terms.  By  a  "gentleman  of  fortune"  they  plainly 
meant  neither  more  nor  less  than  a  common  pirate,  and  the 
little  scene  that  I  had  overheard  was  the  last  act  in  the  cor- 
ruption of  one  of  the  honest  hands  —  perhaps  of  the  last 
one  left  aboard.  But  on  this  point  I  was  soon  to  be  relieved, 
for,  Silver  giving  a  little  whistle,  a  third  man  strolled  up  and 
sat  down  by  the  party. 

"Dick  's  square,"  said  Silver. 

"Oh,  I  know'd  Dick  was  square,"  returned  the  voice  of 
the  coxswain,  Israel  Hands.  "He  's  no  fool  is  Dick."  And 
he  turned  his  quid  and  spat.  "But,  look  here,"  he  went  on, 
"here's  what  I  want  to  know,  Barbecue:  how  long  are  we 
a-going  to  stand  off  and  on  like  a  blessed  bumboat  ?  I  've 
had  a'most  enough  o'  Cap'n  Smollett;  he  's  hazed  me  long 
enough,  by  thunder!  I  want  to  go  into  that  cabin,  I  do.  I 
want  their  pickles  and  wines,  and  that." 

Israel,"  said  Silver,  "your  head  ain't  much  account,  nor 
ever  was.  But  you  're  able  to  hear,  I  reckon ;  leastways, 
your  ears  is  big  enough.  Now,  here  's  what  I  say:  you  '11 

[83] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

berth  forward,  and  you  '11  live  hard,  and  you  '11  speak  soft, 
and  you  '11  keep  sober,  till  I  give  the  word;  and  you  may  lay 
to  that,  my  son." 

"Well,  I  don't  say  no,  do  I?"  growled  the  coxswain. 
"  What  I  say  is,  when  ?  That 's  what  I  say." 

"When!  by  the  powers!"  cried  Silver.  "Well,  now,  if 
you  want  to  know,  I  '11  tell  you  when.  The  last  moment  I 
can  manage;  and  that's  when.  Here's  a  first-rate  seaman, 
Cap'n  Smollett,  sails  the  blessed  ship  for  us.  Here  's  this 
squire  and  doctor  with  a  map  and  such  —  I  don't  know 
where  it  is,  do  I?  No  more  do  you,  says  you.  Well,  then, 
I  mean  this  squire  and  doctor  shall  find  the  stuff,  and  help 
us  to  get  it  aboard,  by  the  powers !  Then  we  '11  see.  If  I 
was  sure  of  you  all,  sons  of  double  Dutchmen,  I  'd  have 
Cap'n  Smollett  navigate  us  half-way  back  again  before  I 
struck." 

"  Why,  we  're  all  seamen  aboard  here,  I  should  think," 
said  the  lad  Dick. 

"We're  all  foc's'le  hands,  you  mean,"  snapped  Silver. 
"We  can  steer  a  course,  but  who  's  to  set  one  ?  That 's  what 
all  you  gentlemen  split  on,  first  and  last.  If  I  had  my  way, 
I  'd  have  Cap'n  Smollett  work  us  back  into  the  trades  at 
\  least:  then  we  'd  have  no  blessed  miscalculations  and  a 
spoonful  of  water  a  day.  But  I  know  the  sort  you  are.  I  '11 
finish  with  'em  at  the  island,  as  soon  's  the  blunt 's  on  board, 
and  a  pity  it  is.  But  you  're  never  happy  till  you  're  drunk. 
Split  my  sides,  I  've  a  sick  heart  to  sail  with  the  likes  of  you!" 

"Easy  all,  Long  John,"  cried  Israel.  "Who's  a-crossin' 
of  you?" 

[84] 


WHAT  I  HEARD  IN  THE  APPLE  BARREL 

"Why,  how  many  tall  ships,  think  ye,  now,  have  I  seen 
laid  aboard?  and  how  many  brisk  lads  drying  in  the  sun 
at  Execution  Dock?"  cried  Silver,  "and  all  for  this  same 
hurry  and  hurry  and  hurry.  You  hear  me?  I  seen  a  thing 
or  two  at  sea,  I  have.  If  you  would  on'y  lay  your  course, 
and  a  p'int  to  windward,  you  would  ride  in  carriages,  you 
would.  But  not  you!  I  know  you.  You'll  have  your 
mouthful  of  rum  to-morrow,  and  go  hang." 

"Everybody  know'd  you  was  a  kind  of  a  chapling,  John; 
but  there  's  others  as  could  hand  and  steer  as  well  as  you," 
said  Israel.  "They  liked  a  bit  o'  fun,  they  did.  They 
wasn't  so  high  and  dry,  nohow,  but  took  their  fling,  like 
jolly  companions  every  one." 

"So?"  says  Silver.  "Well,  and  where  are  they  now? 
Pew  was  that  sort,  and  he  died  a  beggar-mam  Flint  was, 
and  he  died  of  rum  at  Savannah.  Ah,  they  was  a  sweet 
crew,  they  was!  on'y,  where  are  they?" 

"But,"  asked  Dick,  "when  do  we  lay  'em  athwart,  what 
are  we  to  do  with  'em,  anyhow?" 

"There  's  the  man  for  me!"  cried  the  cook,  admiringly. 
"That 's  what  I  call  business.  Well,  what  would  you  think  ? 
Put  'em  ashore  like  maroons  ?  That  would  have  been  Eng- 
land's way.  Or  cut  'em  down  like  that  much  pork  ?  That 
would  have  been  Flint's  or  Billy  Bones's." 

"Billy  was  the  man  for  that,"  said  Israel.  "Dead  men 
don't  bite,'  says  he.  Well,  he  's  dead  now  hisself ;  he  knows 
the  long  and  short  on  it  now ;  and  if  ever  a  rough  hand  come 
to  port,  it  was  Billy." 

"Right  you  are,"  said  Silver,  "rough  and  ready.  But 
[85] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

mark  you  here :  I  'm  an  easy  man  —  I'm  quite  the  gentle- 
man, says  you;  but  this  time  it's  serious.  Dooty  is  dooty, 
mates.  I  give  my  vote  —  death.  When  I  'm  in  Parlyment, 
and  riding  in  my  coach,  I  don't  want  none  of  these  sea -lawyers 
in  the  cabin  a-coming  home,  unlocked  for,  like  the  devil  at 
prayers.  Wait  is  what  I  say;  but  when  the  time  comes,  why 
let  her  rip!" 

"John,"  cries  the  coxswain,  "you  're  a  man!" 

"You  '11  say  so,  Israel,  when  you  see,"  said  Silver.  "Only 
one  thing  I  claim  —  I  claim  Trelawney.  I  '11  wring  his  calf's 
head  off  his  body  with  these  hands.  Dick!"  he  added, 
breaking  off,  "you  just  jump  up  like  a  sweet  lad,  and  get  me 
an  apple,  to  wet  my  pipe  like." 

You  may  fancy  the  terror  I  was  in !  I  should  have  leaped 
out  and  run  for  it,  if  I  had  found  the  strength ;  but  my  limbs 
and  heart  alike  misgave  me.  I  heard  Dick  begin  to  rise,  and 
then  some  one  seemingly  stopped  him,  and  the  voice  of  Hands 
exclaimed : 

"Oh,  stow  that!  Don't  you  get  sucking  of  that  bilge, 
John.  Let 's  have  a  go  of  the  rum." 

"Dick,"  said  Silver,  "I  trust  you.  I  've  a  gauge  on  the 
keg,  mind.  There  's  the  key;  you  fill  a  pannikin  and  bring 
it  up." 

Terrified  as  I  was,  I  could  not  help  thinking  to  myself 
that  this  must  have  been  how  Mr.  Arrow  got  the  strong 
waters  that  destroyed  him. 

Dick  was  gone  but  a  little  while,  and  during  his  absence 
Israel  spoke  straight  on  in  the  cook's  ear.  It  was  but  a  word 
or  two  that  I  could  catch,  and  yet  I  gathered  some  important 

[86] 


WHAT  I  HEARD  IN  THE  APPLE  BARREL 

news;  for,  besides  other  scraps  that  tended  to  the  same  pur- 
pose, this  whole  clause  was  audible:  "Not  another  man  of 
them  '11  jine."  Hence  there  were  still  faithful  men  on  board. 

When  Dick  returned,  one  after  another  of  the  trio  took 
the  pannikin  and  drank  —  one  "To  luck";  another  with  a 
"Here  's  to  old  Flint";  and  Silver  himself  saying,  in  a  kind 
of  song,  "Here  's  to  ourselves,  and  hold  your  luff,  plenty  of 
prizes  and  plenty  of  duff." 

Just  then  a  sort  of  brightness  fell  upon  me  in  the  barrel, 
and,  looking  up,  I  found  the  moon  had  risen,  and  was  silver- 
ing the  mizzen-top  and  shining  white  on  the  luff  of  the  fore- 
sail; and  almost  at  the  same  time  the  voice  of  the  look-out 
shouted,  "Land  ho!" 


[87] 


CHAPTER  XII 
COUNCIL  OF  WAR 

THERE  was  a  great  rush  of  feet  across  the  deck.     I 
could  hear  people  tumbling  up  from  the  cabin  and 
the  foc's'le;    and,  slipping  in  an  instant  outside  my 
barrel,  I  dived  behind  the  fore-sail,  made  a  double  towards 
the  stern,  and  came  out  upon  the  open  deck  in  time  to  join 
Hunter  and  Dr.  Livesey  in  the  rush  for  the  weather  bow. 

There  all  hands  were  already  congregated.  A  belt  of  fog 
had  lifted  almost  simultaneously  with  the  appearance  of  the 
moon.  Away  to  the  southwest  of  us  we  saw  two  low  hills, 
about  a  couple  of  miles  apart,  and  rising  behind  one  of  them 
a  third  and  higher  hill,  whose  peak  was  still  buried  in  the 
fog.  All  three  seemed  sharp  and  conical  in  figure. 

So  much  I  saw,  almost  in  a  dream,  for  I  had  not  yet  re- 
covered from  my  horrid  fear  of  a  minute  or  two  before.  And 
then  I  heard  the  voice  of  Captain  Smollett  issuing  orders. 
The  Hispaniola  was  laid  a  couple  of  points  nearer  the  wind, 
and  now  sailed  a  course  that  would  just  clear  the  island  on 
the  east. 

"And  now,  men,"  said  the  captain,  when  all  was  sheeted 
home,  "has  any  one  of  you  ever  seen  that  land  ahead?" 

"I  have,  sir,"  said  Silver.  "I  've  watered  there  with  a 
trader  I  was  cook  in." 

[88] 


COUNCIL  OF  WAR 

"The  anchorage  is  on  the  south,  behind  an  islet,  I  fancy  ?" 
asked  the  captain. 

"Yes,  sir;  Skeleton  Island  they  calls  it.  It  were  a  main 
place  for  pirates  once,  and  a  hand  we  had  on  board  knowed 
all  their  names  for  it.  That  hill  to  the  nor'ard  they  calls  the 
Fore-mast  Hill;  there  are  three  hills  in  a  row  running  south- 
'ard  —  fore,  main,  and  mizzen,  sir.  But  the  main  —  that 's 
the  big  'un,  with  the  cloud  on  it  —  they  usually  calls  the 
Spy-glass,  by  reason  of  a  look-out  they  kept  when  they  was 
in  the  anchorage  cleaning;  for  it's  there  they  cleaned  their 
ships,  sir,  asking  your  pardon." 

"I  have  a  chart  here,"  says  Captain  Smollett.  "See  if 
that 's  the  place." 

Long  John's  eyes  burned  in  his  head  as  he  took  the  chart; 
but,  by  the  fresh  look  of  the  paper,  I  knew  he  was  doomed 
to  disappointment.  This  was  not  the  map  we  found  in 
Billy  Bones's  chest,  but  an  accurate  copy,  complete  in  all 
things  —  names  and  heights  and  soundings  —  with  the  single 
exception  of  the  red  crosses  and  the  written  notes.  Sharp 
as  must  have  been  his  annoyance,  Silver  had  the  strength  of 
mind  to  hide  it. 

"Yes,  sir,"  said  he,  "this  is  the  spot,  to  be  sure;  and 
very  prettily  drawed  out.  Who  might  have  done  that,  I 
wonder  ?  The  pirates  were  too  ignorant,  I  reckon.  Ay,  here 
it  is:  'Capt.  Kidd's  Anchorage' — just  the  name  my  ship- 
mate called  it.  There 's  a  strong  current  runs  along  the 
south,  and  then  away  nor'ard  up  the  west  coast.  Right  you 
was,  sir,"  says  he,  "to  haul  your  wind  and  keep  the  weather 
of  the  island.  Leastways,  if  such  was  your  intention  as  to 

[89] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

enter  and  careen,  and  there  ain't  no  better  place  for  that  in 
these  waters." 

"Thank  you,  my  man,"  says  Captain  Smollett.  "I  '11 
ask  you,  later  on,  to  give  us  a  help.  You  may  go." 

I  was  surprised  at  the  coolness  with  which  John  avowed 
his  knowledge  of  the  island ;  and  I  own  I  was  half  frightened 
when  I  saw  him  drawing  nearer  to  myself.  He  did  not  know, 
to  be  sure,  that  I  had  overheard  his  council  from  the  apple 
barrel,  and  yet  I  had,  by  this  time,  taken  such  a  horror  of 
his  cruelty,  duplicity,  and  power,  that  I  could  scarce  conceal 
a  shudder  when  he  laid  his  hand  upon  my  arm. 

"Ah,"  says  he,  "this  here  is  a  sweet  spot,  this  island  —  a 
sweet  spot  for  a  lad  to  get  ashore  on.  You  '11  bathe,  and 
you  '11  climb  trees,  and  you  '11  hunt  goats,  you  will ;  and  you  '11 
get  aloft  on  them  hills  like  a  goat  yourself.  Why,  it  makes 
me  young  again.  I  was  going  to  forget  my  timber  leg,  I 
was.  It 's  a  pleasant  thing  to  be  young,  and  have  ten  toes, 
and  you  may  lay  to  that.  When  you  want  to  go  a  bit  of 
exploring,  you  just  ask  old  John,  and  he  '11  put  up  a  snack 
for  you  to  take  along." 

And  clapping  me  in  the  friendliest  way  upon  the  shoulder, 
he  hobbled  off  forward,  and  went  below. 

Captain  Smollett,  the  squire,  and  Dr.  Livesey  were  talk- 
ing together  on  the  quarter-deck,  and,  anxious  as  I  was  to 
tell  them  my  story,  I  durst  not  interrupt  them  openly.  While 
I  was  still  casting  about  in  my  thoughts  to  find  some  prob- 
able excuse,  Dr.  Livesey  called  me  to  his  side.  He  had 
left  his  pipe  below,  and  being  a  slave  to  tobacco,  had  meant 
that  I  should  fetch  it;  but  as  soon  as  I  was  near  enough  to 

[90] 


COUNCIL  OF  WAR 

speak  and  not  to  be  overheard,  I  broke  out  immediately: 
"Doctor,  let  me  speak.  Get  the  captain  and  squire  down 
to  the  cabin,  and  then  make  some  pretence  to  send  for  me. 
I  have  terrible  news." 

The  doctor  changed  countenance  a  little,  but  next  moment 
he  was  master  of  himself. 

"Thank  you,  Jim,"  said  he,  quite  loudly,  "that  was  all  I 
wanted  to  know,"  as  if  he  had  asked  me  a  question. 

And  with  that  he  turned  on  his  heel  and  rejoined  the 
other  two.  They  spoke  together  for  a  little,  and  though 
none  of  them  started,  or  raised  his  voice,  or  so  much  as 
whistled,  it  was  plain  enough  that  Dr.  Livesey  had  com- 
municated my  request ;  for  the  next  thing  that  I  heard  was 
the  captain  giving  an  order  to  Job  Anderson,  and  all  hands 
were  piped  on  deck. 

"My  lads,"  said  Captain  Smollett,  "I've  a  word  to  say 
to  you.  This  land  that  we  have  sighted  is  the  place  we  have 
been  sailing  for.  Mr.  Trelawney,  being  a  very  open-handed 
gentleman,  as  we  all  know,  has  just  asked  me  a  word  or  two, 
and  as  I  was  able  to  tell  him  that  every  man  on  board  had 
done  his  duty,  alow  and  aloft,  as  I  never  ask  to  see  it  done  bet- 
ter, why,  he  and  I  and  the  doctor  are  going  below  to  the  cabin 
to  drink  your  health  and  luck,  and  you  '11  have  grog  served 
out  for  you  to  drink  our  health  and  luck.  I  '11  tell  you  what 
I  think  of  this :  I  think  it  handsome.  And  if  you  think  as  I 
do,  you  '11  give  a  good  sea  cheer  for  the  gentleman  that  does  it." 

The  cheer  followed  —  that  was  a  matter  of  course ;  but 
it  rang  out  so  full  and  hearty,  that  I  confess  I  could  hardly 
believe  these  same  men  were  plotting  for  our  blood. 

[91] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

"One  more  cheer  for  Cap'n  Smollett,"  cried  Long  John, 
when  the  first  had  subsided. 

And  this  also  was  given  with  a  will. 

On  the  top  of  that  the  three  gentlemen  went  below,  and 
not  long  after,  word  was  sent  forward  that  Jim  Hawkins  was 
wanted  in  the  cabin. 

I  found  them  all  three  seated  round  the  table,  a  bottle  of 
Spanish  wine  and  some  raisins  before  them,  and  the  doctor 
smoking  away,  with  his  wig  on  his  lap,  and  that,  I  knew, 
was  a  sign  that  he  was  agitated.  The  stern  window  was 
open,  for  it  was  a  warm  night,  and  you  could  see  the  moon 
shining  behind  on  the  ship's  wake. 

"Now,  Hawkins,"  said  the  squire,  "you  have  something 
to  say.  Speak  up." 

I  did  as  I  was  bid,  and  as  short  as  I  could  make  it,  told 
the  whole  details  of  Silver's  conversation.  Nobody  inter- 
rupted me  till  I  was  done,  nor  did  any  one  of  the  three  of 
them  make  so  much  as  a  movement,  but  they  kept  their  eyes 
upon  my  face  from  first  to  last. 

"Jim,"  said  Dr.  Livesey,  "take  a  seat." 

And  they  made  me  sit  down  at  table  beside  them,  poured 
me  out  a  glass  of  wine,  filled  my  hands  with  raisins,  and  all 
three,  one  after  the  other,  and  each  with  a  bow,  drank  my 
good  health,  and  their  service  to  me,  for  my  luck  and  courage. 

"Now,  captain,"  said  the  squire,  "you  were  right  and  I 
was  wrong.  I  own  myself  an  ass,  and  I  await  your  orders." 

"No  more  an  ass  than  I,  sir,"  returned  the  captain.  "I 
never  heard  of  a  crew  that  meant  to  mutiny  but  what  showed 
signs  before,  for  any  man  that  had  an  eye  in  his  head  to  see 

[92] 


COUNCIL  OF  WAR 

the  mischief  and  take  steps  according.  But  this  crew,"  he 
added,  "beats  me." 

"Captain,"  said  the  doctor,  "with  your  permission,  that 's 
Silver.  A  very  remarkable  man." 

"He'd  look  remarkably  well  from  a  yard-arm,  sir,"  re- 
turned the  captain.  "But  this  is  talk;  this  don't  lead  to  any- 
thing. I  see  three  or  four  points,  and  with  Mr.  Trelawney's 
permission,  I  '11  name  them." 

"You,  sir,  are  the  captain.  It  is  for  you  to  speak,"  says 
Mr.  Trelawney,  grandly. 

"First  point,"  began  Mr.  Smollett.  "We  must  go  on, 
because  we  can't  turn  back.  If  I  gave  the  word  to  go 
about,  they  would  rise  at  once.  Second  point,  we  have  time 
before  us  —  at  least,  until  this  treasure  's  found.  Third  point, 
there  are  faithful  hands.  Now,  sir,  it 's  got  to  come  to  blows 
sooner  or  later;  and  what  I  propose  is,  to  take  time  by  the 
forelock,  as  the  saying  is,  and  come  to  blows  some  fine  day 
when  they  least  expect  it.  We  can  count,  I  take  it,  on  your 
own  home  servants,  Mr.  Trelawney  ?" 

"As  upon  myself,"  declared  the  squire. 

"Three,"  reckoned  the  captain,  "ourselves  make  seven, 
counting  Hawkins,  here.  Now,  about  the  honest  hands." 

"Most  likely  Trelawney's  own  men,"  said  the  doctor; 
"those  he  had  picked  up  for  himself,  before  he  lit  on  Silver." 

"Nay,"  replied  the  squire,  "Hands  was  one  of  mine." 

"I  did  think  I  could  have  trusted  Hands,"  added  the 
captain. 

"And  to  think  that  they're  all  Englishmen!"  broke  out  the 
squire.  "Sir,  I  could  find  it  in  my  heart  to  blow  the  ship  up." 

[93] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

"Well,  gentlemen,"  said  the  captain,  "the  best  that  I  can 
say  is  not  much.  We  must  lay  to,  if  you  please,  and  keep  a 
bright  look-out.  It 's  trying  on  a  man,  I  know.  It  would 
be  pleasanter  to  come  to  blows.  But  there  's  no  help  for  it 
till  we  know  our  men.  Lay  to,  and  whistle  for  a  wind,  that 's 
my  view." 

"Jim  here,"  said  the  doctor,  "can  help  us  more  than 
any  one.  The  men  are  not  shy  with  him,  and  Jim  is  a  no- 
ticing lad." 

"Hawkins,  I  put  prodigious  faith  in  you,"  added  the 
squire. 

I  began  to  feel  pretty  desperate  at  this,  for  I  felt  alto- 
gether helpless ;  and  yet,  by  an  odd  train  of  circumstances,  it 
was  indeed  through  me  that  safety  came.  In  the  meantime, 
talk  as  we  pleased,  there  were  only  seven  out  of  the  twenty- 
six  on  whom  we  knew  we  could  rely;  and  out  of  these  seven 
one  was  a  boy,  so  that  the  grown  men  on  our  side  were  six 
to  their  nineteen. 


[94] 


PART  III 
MY  SHORE  ADVENTURE 


CHAPTER  XIII 
HOW  MY  SHORE  ADVENTURE  BEGAN 

THE  appearance  of  the  island  when  I  came  on  deck 
next  morning  was  altogether  changed.  Although 
the  breeze  had  now  utterly  ceased,  we  had  made  a 
great  deal  of  way  during  the  night,  and  were  now  lying  be- 
calmed about  half  a  mile  to  the  south-east  of  the  low  eastern 
coast.  Grey-coloured  woods  covered  a  large  part  of  the  sur- 
face. This  even  tint  was  indeed  broken  up  by  streaks  of 
yellow  sandbreak  in  the  lower  lands,  and  by  many  tall  trees 
of  the  pine  family,  out-topping  the  others  —  some  singly, 
some  in  clumps;  but  the  general  colouring  was  uniform  and 
sad.  The  hills  ran  up  clear  above  the  vegetation  in  spires 
of  naked  rock.  All  were  strangely  shaped,  and  the  Spy- 
glass, which  was  by  three  or  four  hundred  feet  the  tallest 
on  the  island,  was  likewise  the  strangest  in  configuration,  run- 
ning up  sheer  from  almost  every  side,  and  then  suddenly  cut 
off  at  the  top  like  a  pedestal  to  put  a  statue  on. 

The  Hispaniola  was  rolling  scuppers  under  in  the  ocean 
swell.  The  booms  were  tearing  at  the  blocks,  the  rudder 
was  banging  to  and  fro,  and  the  whole  ship  creaking,  groan- 
ing, and  jumping  like  a  manufactory.  I  had  to  cling  tight 
to  the  backstay,  and  the  world  turned  giddily  before  my 
eyes;  for  though  I  was  a  good  enough  sailor  when  there  was 

[97] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

way  on,  this  standing  still  and  being  rolled  about  like  a  bottle 
was  a  thing  I  never  learned  to  stand  without  a  qualm  or  so, 
above  all  in  the  morning,  on  an  empty  stomach. 

Perhaps  it  was  this  —  perhaps  it  was  the  look  of  the 
island,  with  its  grey,  melancholy  woods,  and  wild  stone  spires, 
and  the  surf  that  we  could  both  see  and  hear  foaming  and 
thundering  on  the  steep  beach  —  at  least,  although  the  sun 
shone  bright  and  hot,  and  the  shore  birds  were  fishing  and 
crying  all  around  us,  and  you  would  have  thought  any  one 
would  have  been  glad  to  get  to  land  after  being  so  long  at 
sea,  my  heart  sank,  as  the  saying  is,  into  my  boots ;  and  from 
that  first  look  onward,  I  hated  the  very  thought  of  Treasure 
Island. 

We  had  a  dreary  morning's  work  before  us,  for  there  was 
no  sign  of  any  wind,  and  the  boats  had  to  be  got  out  and 
manned,  and  the  ship  warped  three  or  four  miles  round  the 
corner  of  the  island,  and  up  the  narrow  passage  to  the  haven 
behind  Skeleton  Island.  I  volunteered  for  one  of  the  boats, 
where  I  had,  of  course,  no  business.  The  heat  was  swelter- 
ing, and  the  men  grumbled  fiercely  over  their  work.  Ander- 
son was  in  command  of  my  boat,  and  instead  of  keeping  the 
crew  in  order,  he  grumbled  as  loud  as  the  worst. 

"Well,"  he  said,  with  an  oath,  "it 's  not  for  ever." 

I  thought  this  was  a  very  bad  sign;  for,  up  to  that  day, 
the  men  had  gone  briskly  and  willingly  about  their  business ; 
but  the  very  sight  of  the  island  had  relaxed  the  cords  of 
discipline. 

All  the  way  in,  Long  John  stood  by  the  steersman  and 
conned  the  ship.  He  knew  the  passage  like  the  palm  of 

[98] 


HOW  MY  SHORE  ADVENTURE  BEGAN 

his  hand;  and  though  the  man  in  the  chains  got  everywhere 
more  water  than  was  down  in  the  chart,  John  never  hesitated 
once. 

"There  's  a  strong  scour  with  the  ebb,"  he  said,  "and 
this  here  passage  has  been  dug  out,  in  a  manner  of  speaking, 
with  a  spade." 

We  brought  up  just  where  the  anchor  was  in  the  chart, 
about  a  third  of  a  mile  from  each  shore,  the  mainland  on  one 
side,  and  Skeleton  Island  on  the  other.  The  bottom  was 
clean  sand.  The  plunge  of  our  anchor  sent  up  clouds  of 
birds  wheeling  and  crying  over  the  woods;  but  in  less  than  a 
minute  they  were  down  again,  and  all  was  once  more  silent. 

The  place  was  entirely  land-locked,  buried  in  woods, 
the  trees  coming  right  down  to  high-water  mark,  the  shores 
mostly  flat,  and  the  hilltops  standing  round  at  a  distance  in 
a  sort  of  amphitheatre,  one  here,  one  there.  Two  little 
rivers,  or,  rather,  two  swamps,  emptied  out  into  this  pond, 
as  you  might  call  it;  and  the  foliage  round  that  part  of  the 
shore  had  a  kind  of  poisonous  brightness.  From  the  ship, 
we  could  see  nothing  of  the  house  or  stockade,  for  they  were 
quite  buried  among  trees;  and  if  it  had  not  been  for  the 
chart  on  the  companion,  we  might  have  been  the  first  that 
had  ever  anchored  there  since  the  island  arose  out  of  the  seas. 

There  was  not  a  breath  of  air  moving,  nor  a  sound  but 
that  of  the  surf  booming  half  a  mile  away  along  the  beaches 
and  against  the  rocks  outside.  A  peculiar  stagnant  smell 
hung  over  the  anchorage  —  a  smell  of  sodden  leaves  and  rot- 
ting tree  trunks.  I  observed  the  doctor  sniffing  and  sniffing, 
like  some  one  tasting  a  bad  egg. 

[99] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

"I  don't  know  about  treasure,"  he  said,  "but  I  '11  stake 
my  wig  there  's  fever  here." 

If  the  conduct  of  the  men  had  been  alarming  in  the  boat, 
it  became  truly  threatening  when  they  had  come  aboard. 
They  lay  about  the  deck  growling  together  in  talk.  The 
slightest  order  was  received  with  a  black  look,  and  grudg- 
ingly and  carelessly  obeyed.  Even  the  honest  hands  must 
have  caught  the  infection,  for  there  was  not  one  man  aboard 
to  mend  another.  Mutiny,  it  was  plain,  hung  over  us  like  a 
thunder-cloud. 

And  it  was  not  only  we  of  the  cabin  party  who  perceived 
the  danger.  Long  John  was  hard  at  work  going  from  group 
to  group,  spending  himself  in  good  advice,  and  as  for  example 
no  man  could  have  shown  a  better.  He  fairly  outstripped 
himself  in  willingness  and  civility;  he  was  all  smiles  to  every 
one.  If  an  order  were  given,  John  would  be  on  his  crutch 
in  an  instant,  with  the  cheeriest  "Ay,  ay,  sir!"  in  the  world; 
and  when  there  was  nothing  else  to  do,  he  kept  up  one  song 
after  another,  as  if  to  conceal  the  discontent  of  the  rest. 

Of  all  the  gloomy  features  of  that  gloomy  afternoon,  this 
obvious  anxiety  on  the  part  of  Long  John  appeared  the  worst. 

We  held  a  council  in  the  cabin. 

"Sir,"  said  the  captain,  "if  I  risk  another  order,  the 
whole  ship  '11  come  about  our  ears  by  the  run.  You  see, 
sir,  here  it  is.  I  get  a  rough  answer,  do  I  not?  Well,  if  I 
speak  back,  pikes  will  be  going  in  two  shakes;  if  I  don't, 
Silver  will  see  there  's  something  under  that,  and  the  game  's 
up.  Now,  we  've  only  one  man  to  rely  on." 

"And  who  is  that?"   asked  the  squire. 
[100] 


HOW  MY  SHORE  ADVENTURE  BEGAN 

"Silver,  sir,"  returned  the  captain:  "he's  as  anxious  as 
you  and  I  to  smother  things  up.  This  is  a  tiff;  he'd  soon 
talk  'em  out  of  it  if  he  had  the  chance,  and  what  I  propose 
to  do  is  give  him  the  chance.  Let 's  allow  the  men  an  after- 
noon ashore.  If  they  all  go,  why,  we  '11  fight  the  ship.  If 
they  none  of  them  go,  well,  then,  we  hold  the  cabin,  and 
God  defend  the  right.  If  some  go,  you  mark  my  words,  sir, 
Silver  '11  bring  'em  aboard  again  as  mild  as  lambs." 

It  was  so  decided;  loaded  pistols  were  served  out  to  all 
the  sure  men ;  Hunter,  Joyce,  and  Redruth  were  taken  into 
our  confidence,  and  received  the  news  with  less  surprise 
and  a  better  spirit  than  we  had  looked  for,  and  then  the  cap- 
tain went  on  deck  and  addressed  the  crew. 

"My  lads,"  said  he,  "we've  had  a  hot  day,  and  are  all 
tired  and  out  of  sorts.  A  turn  ashore  '11  hurt  nobody  —  the 
boats  are  still  in  the  water;  you  can  take  the  gigs,  and  as 
many  as  please  may  go  ashore  for  the  afternoon.  I  '11  fire 
a  gun  half  an  hour  before  sundown." 

I  believe  the  silly  fellows  must  have  thought  they  would 
break  their  shins  over  treasure  as  soon  as  they  were  landed; 
for  they  all  came  out  of  their  sulks  in  a  moment,  and  gave  a 
cheer  that  started  the  echo  in  a  far-away  hill,  and  sent  the 
birds  once  more  flying  and  squalling  round  the  anchorage. 

The  captain  was  too  bright  to  be  in  the  way.  He  whipped 
out  of  sight  in  a  moment,  leaving  Silver  to  arrange  the  party; 
and  I  fancy  it  was  as  well  he  did  so.  Had  he  been  on  deck, 
he  could  no  longer  so  much  as  have  pretended  not  to  under- 
stand the  situation.  It  was  as  plain  as  day.  Silver  was  the 
captain,  and  a  mighty  rebellious  crew  he  had  of  it.  The 

[101] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

honest  hands  —  and  I  was  soon  to  see  it  proved  that  there 
were  such  on  board  —  must  have  been  very  stupid  fellows. 
Or,  rather,  I  suppose  the  truth  was  this,  that  all  hands  were 
disaffected  by  the  example  of  the  ringleaders  —  only  some 
more,  some  less;  and  a  few,  being  good  fellows  in  the  main, 
could  neither  be  led  nor  driven  any  further.  It  is  one  thing 
to  be  idle  and  skulk,  and  quite  another  to  take  a  ship  and 
murder  a  number  of  innocent  men. 

At  last,  however,  the  party  was  made  up.  Six  fellows 
were  to  stay  on  board,  and  the  remaining  thirteen,  including 
Silver,  began  to  embark. 

Then  it  was  that  there  came  into  my  head  the  first  of 
the  mad  notions  that  contributed  so  much  to  save  our  lives. 
If  six  men  were  left  by  Silver,  it  was  plain  our  party  could 
not  take  and  fight  the  ship;  and  since  only  six  were  left,  it 
was  equally  plain  that  the  cabin  party  had  no  present  need 
of  my  assistance.  It  occurred  to  me  at  once  to  go  ashore.  In 
a  jiffy  I  had  slipped  over  the  side,  and  curled  up  in  the  fore- 
sheets  of  the  nearest  boat,  and  almost  at  the  same  moment  she 
shoved  off. 

No  one  took  notice  of  me,  only  the  bow  oar  saying,  "Is 
that  you,  Jim  ?  Keep  your  head  down."  But  Silver,  from 
the  other  boat,  looked  sharply  over  and  called  out  to  know 
if  that  were  me;  and  from  that  moment  I  began  to  regret 
what  I  had  done. 

The  crews  raced  for  the  beach;  but  the  boat  I  was  in, 
having  some  start,  and  being  at  once  the  lighter  and  the 
better  manned,  shot  far  ahead  of  her  consort,  and  the  bow 
had  struck  among  the  shore-side  trees,  and  I  had  caught  a 

[102] 


-H!  that  there 

;pid  fellows. 

i!  hands  were 

sly  some 

lows  in  the  main, 

.     It  is  one  thing 

take  a  ship  and 

ip.     Six  fellows 
•en,  including 

Loaded  pistols  were  served  out  to  all  the  sure  men 

cad  the  first  of 

ir  party  could 

re  left,  it 

u  present  neccf 

shore.     In 

?he  fo 
moment 

rig» 

But  Silver 
er  and  called  out  to 
me;    and  from  that  moment  I  began  to  : 

\  for  the  beach;   but  the  boat  I  v 
ind  being  at  once  the  lighter  an 
ahead  of  Ler  consort,  and  tb 
1  T  bad 


HOW  MY  SHORE  ADVENTURE  BEGAN 

branch  and  swung  myself  out,  and  plunged  into  the  nearest 
thicket,  while  Silver  and  the  rest  were  still  a  hundred  yards 
behind. 

"Jim,  Jim!"  I  heard  him  shouting. 

But  you  may  suppose  I  paid  no  heed;  jumping,  ducking, 
and  breaking  through,  I  ran  straight  before  my  nose,  till  I 
could  run  no  longer. 


[  103 


CHAPTER  XIV 
THE  FIRST  BLOW 

I  WAS  so  pleased  at  having  given  the  slip  to  Long  John, 
that  I  began  to  enjoy  myself  and  look  around  me 
with  some  interest  on  the  strange  land  that  I  was  in. 

I  had  crossed  a  marshy  tract  full  of  willows,  bulrushes, 
and  odd,  outlandish,  swampy  trees;  and  had  now  come 
out  upon  the  skirts  of  an  open  piece  of  undulating,  sandy 
country,  about  a  mile  long,  dotted  with  a  few  pines,  and  a 
great  number  of  contorted  trees,  not  unlike  the  oak  in  growth, 
but  pale  in  the  foliage,  like  willows.  On  the  far  side  of  the 
open  stood  one  of  the  hills,  with  two  quaint,  craggy  peaks, 
shining  vividly  in  the  sun. 

I  now  felt  for  the  first  time  the  joy  of  exploration.  The 
isle  was  uninhabited;  my  shipmates  I  had  left  behind,  and 
nothing  lived  in  front  of  me  but  dumb  brutes  and  fowls.  I 
turned  hither  and  thither  among  the  trees.  Here  and  there 
were  flowering  plants,  unknown  to  me;  here  and  there  I  saw 
snakes,  and  one  raised  his  head  from  a  ledge  of  rock  and 
hissed  at  me  with  a  noise  not  unlike  the  spinning  of  a  top. 
Little  did  I  suppose  that  he  was  a  deadly  enemy,  and  that 
the  noise  was  the  famous  rattle. 

Then  I  came  to  a  long  thicket  of  these  oak-like  trees  — 
live,  or  evergreen,  oaks,  I  heard  afterwards  they  should  be 

[104] 


THE  FIRST  BLOW 

called  —  which  grew  low  along  the  sand  like  brambles,  the 
boughs  curiously  twisted,  the  foliage  compact,  like  thatch. 
The  thicket  stretched  down  from  the  top  of  one  of  the  sandy 
knolls,  spreading  and  growing  taller  as  it  went,  until  it  reached 
the  margin  of  the  broad,  reedy  fen,  through  which  the  near- 
est of  the  little  rivers  soaked  its  way  into  the  anchorage. 
The  marsh  was  steaming  in  the  strong  sun,  and  the  outline 
of  the  Spy-glass  trembled  through  the  haze. 

All  at  once  there  began  to  go  a  sort  of  bustle  among  the 
bulrushes;  a  wild  duck  flew  up  with  a  quack,  another  fol- 
lowed, and  soon  over  the  whole  surface  of  the  marsh  a  great 
cloud  of  birds  hung  screaming  and  circling  in  the  air.  I 
judged  at  once  that  some  of  my  shipmates  must  be  drawing  near 
along  the  borders  of  the  fen.  Nor  was  I  deceived;  for  soon 
I  heard  the  very  distant  and  low  tones  of  a  human  voice,  which, 
as  I  continued  to  give  ear,  grew  steadily  louder  and  nearer. 

This  put  me  in  a  great  fear,  and  I  crawled  under  cover 
of  the  nearest  live-oak,  and  squatted  there,  hearkening,  as 
silent  as  a  mouse. 

Another  voice  answered ;  and  then  the  first  voice,  which  I 
now  recognised  to  be  Silver's,  once  more  took  up  the  story, 
and  ran  on  for  a  long  while  in  a  stream,  only  now  and  again 
interrupted  by  the  other.  By  the  sound  they  must  have  been 
talking  earnestly,  and  almost  fiercely;  but  no  distinct  word 
came  to  my  hearing. 

At  last  the  speakers  seemed  to  have  paused,  and  perhaps 
to  have  sat  down ;  for  not  only  did  they  cease  to  draw  any 
nearer,  but  the  birds  themselves  began  to  grow  more  quiet, 
and  to  settle  again  to  their  places  I  the  swamp. 

[  105  . 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

And  now  I  began  to  feel  that  I  was  neglecting  my  busi- 
ness; that  since  I  had  been  so  foolhardy  as  to  come  ashore 
with  these  desperadoes,  the  least  I  could  do  was  to  overhear 
them  at  their  councils;  and  that  my  plain  and  obvious  duty 
was  to  draw  as  close  as  I  could  manage,  under  the  favourable 
ambush  of  the  crouching  trees. 

I  could  tell  the  direction  of  the  speakers  pretty  exactly, 
not  only  by  the  sound  of  their  voices,  but  by  the  behaviour 
of  the  few  birds  that  still  hung  in  alarm  above  the  heads  of 
the  intruders. 

Crawling  on  all-fours,  I  made  steadily  but  slowly  towards 
them;  till  at  last,  raising  my  head  to  an  aperture  among 
the  leaves,  I  could  see  clear  down  into  a  little  green  dell 
beside  the  marsh,  and  closely  set  about  with  trees,  where 
Long  John  Silver  and  another  of  the  crew  stood  face  to  face 
in  conversation. 

The  sun  beat  full  upon  them.  Silver  had  thrown  his  hat 
beside  him  on  the  ground,  and  his  great,  smooth,  blond  face, 
all  shining,  with  heat,  was  lifted  to  the  other  man's  in  a  kind 
of  appeal. 

"Mate,"  he  was  saying,  "it's  because  I  thinks  gold 
dust  of  you  —  gold  dust,  and  you  may  lay  to  that!  If  I 
hadn't  took  to  you  like  pitch,  do  you  think  I  'd  have  been 
here  a-warning  of  you  ?  All 's  up  —  you  can't  make  nor 
mend ;  it 's  to  save  your  neck  that  I  'm  a-speaking,  and  if  one 
of  the  wild  'uns  knew  it,  where  'ud  I  be,  Tom  —  now,  tell 
me,  where  'ud  I  be?" 

"Silver,"  said  the  other  man  —  and  I  observed  he  was 
not  only  red  in  the  face,  but  spoke  as  hoarse  as  a  crow,  and 

[106] 


THE  FIRST  BLOW 

his  voice  shook,  too,  like  a  taut  rope  —  "Silver,"  says  he, 
"you  're  old,  and  you  're  honest,  or  has  the  name  for  it; 
and  you  've  money,  too,  which  lots  of  poor  sailors  hasn't; 
and  you  're  brave,  or  I  'm  mistook.  And  will  you  tell  me 
you  '11  let  yourself  be  led  away  with  that  kind  of  a  mess  of 
swabs  ?  not  you !  As  sure  as  God  sees  me,  I  'd  sooner  lose 
my  hand.  If  I  turn  agin  my  dooty " 

And  then  all  of  a  sudden  he  was  interrupted  by  a  noise. 
I  had  found  one  of  the  honest  hands  —  well,  here,  at  that 
same  moment,  came  news  of  another.  Far  away  out  in  the 
marsh  there  arose,  all  of  a  sudden,  a  sound  like  the  cry  of 
anger,  then  another  on  the  back  of  it;  and  then  one  horrid, 
long-drawn  scream.  The  rocks  of  the  Spy-glass  re-echoed  it 
a  score  of  times;  the  whole  troop  of  marsh-birds  rose  again, 
darkening  heaven,  with  a  simultaneous  whirr;  and  long  after 
that  death  yell  was  still  ringing  in  my  brain,  silence  had 
re-established  its  empire,  and  only  the  rustle  of  the  redescend- 
ing  birds  and  the  boom  of  the  distant  surges  disturbed  the 
languor  of  the  afternoon. 

Tom  had  leaped  at  the  sound,  like  a  horse  at  the  spur; 
but  Silver  had  not  winked  an  eye.  He  stood  where  he  was, 
resting  lightly  on  his  crutch,  watching  his  companion  like  a 
snake  about  to  spring. 

"John!"    said  the  sailor,  stretching  out  his  hand. 

"Hands  off!"  cried  Silver,  leaping  back  a  yard,  as  it 
seemed  to  me,  with  the  speed  and  security  of  a  trained  gymnast. 

"Hands  off,  if  you  like,  John  Silver,"  said  the  other. 
"It 's  a  black  conscience  that  can  make  you  feared  of  me. 
But,  in  heaven's  name,  tell  me  what  was  that?" 

[107] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

"That?"  returned  Silver,  smiling  away,  but  warier  than 
ever,  his  eye  a  mere  pin-point  in  his  big  face,  but  gleaming 
like  a  crumb  of  glass.  "That?  Oh,  I  reckon  that'll  be 
Alan." 

And  at  this  poor  Tom  flashed  out  like  a  hero. 

"Alan!"  he  cried.  "Then  rest  his  soul  for  a  true  sea- 
man !  And  as  for  you,  John  Silver,  long  you  *ve  been  a 
mate  of  mine,  but  you  're  mate  of  mine  no  more.  If  I  die 
like  a  dog,  I  '11  die  in  my  dooty.  You  've  killed  Alan,  have 
you  ?  Kill  me,  too,  if  you  can.  But  I  defies  you." 

And  with  that,  this  brave  fellow  turned  his  back  directly 
on  the  cook,  and  set  off  walking  for  the  beach.  But  he  was 
not  destined  to  go  far.  With  a  cry,  John  seized  the  branch 
of  a  tree,  whipped  the  crutch  out  of  his  armpit,  and  sent  that 
uncouth  missile  hurtling  through  the  air.  It  struck  poor 
Tom,  point  foremost,  and  with  stunning  violence,  right  be- 
tween the  shoulders  in  the  middle  of  his  back.  His  hands 
flew  up,  he  gave  a  sort  of  gasp,  and  fell. 

Whether  he  were  injured  much  or  little,  none  could  ever 
tell.  Like  enough,  to  judge  from  the  sound,  his  back  was 
broken  on  the  spot.  But  he  had  no  time  given  him  to  re- 
cover. Silver,  agile  as  a  monkey,  even  without  leg  or  crutch, 
was  on  the  top  of  him  next  moment,  and  had  twice  buried 
his  knife  up  to  the  hilt,  in  that  defenceless  body.  From  my 
place  of  ambush,  I  could  hear  him  pant  aloud  as  he  struck 
the  blows. 

I  do  not  know  what  it  rightly  is  to  faint,  but  I  do  know 
that  for  the  next  little  while  the  whole  world  swam  away 
from  before  me  in  a  whirling  mist;  Silver  and  the  birds,  and 

[108] 


THE   FIRST  BLOW 

the  tall  Spy-glass  hilltop,  going  round  and  round  and  topsy- 
turvy before  my  eyes,  and  all  manner  of  bells  ringing  and 
distant  voices  shouting  in  my  ear. 

When  I  came  again  to  myself,  the  monster  had  pulled 
himself  together,  his  crutch  under  his  arm,  his  hat  upon 
his  head.  Just  before  him  Tom  lay  motionless  upon  the 
sward;  but  the  murderer  minded  him  not  a  whit,  cleans- 
ing his  blood-stained  knife  the  while  upon  a  wisp  of  grass. 
Everything  else  was  unchanged,  the  sun  still  shining  mer- 
cilessly on  the  steaming  marsh  and  the  tall  pinnacle  of  the 
mountain,  and  I  could  scarce  persuade  myself  that  murder 
had  been  actually  done,  and  a  human  life  cruelly  cut  short 
a  moment  since,  before  my  eyes. 

But  now  John  put  his  hand  into  his  pocket,  brought  out 
a  whistle,  and  blew  upon  it  several  modulated  blasts,  that 
rang  far  across  the  heated  air.  I  could  not  tell,  of  course, 
the  meaning  of  the  signal;  but  it  instantly  awoke  my  fears. 
More  men  would  be  coming.  I  might  be  discovered.  They 
had  already  slain  two  of  the  honest  people;  after  Tom  and 
Alan,  might  not  I  come  next  ? 

Instantly  I  began  to  extricate  myself  and  crawl  back 
again,  with  what  speed  and  silence  I  could  manage,  to  the 
more  open  portion  of  the  wood.  As  I  did  so,  I  could  hear 
hails  coming  and  going  between  the  old  buccaneer  and  his 
comrades,  and  this  sound  of  danger  lent  me  wings.  As 
soon  as  I  was  clear  of  the  thicket,  I  ran  as  I  never  ran  before, 
scarce  minding  the  direction  of  my  flight,  so  long  as  it  led 
me  from  the  murderers;  and  as  I  ran,  fear  grew  and  grew 
upon  me,  until  it  turned  into  a  kind  of  frenzy. 

[109] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

Indeed,  could  any  one  be  more  entirely  lost  than  I? 
When  the  gun  fired,  how  should  I  dare  to  go  down  to  the 
boats  among  those  fiends,  still  smoking  from  their  crime? 
Would  not  the  first  of  them  who  saw  me  wring  my  neck  like 
a  snipe's?  Would  not  my  absence  itself  be  an  evidence  to 
them  of  my  alarm,  and  therefore  of  my  fatal  knowledge? 
It  was  all  over,  I  thought.  Good-bye  to  the  Hispaniola; 
good-bye  to  the  squire,  the  doctor,  and  the  captain!  There 
was  nothing  left  for  me  but  death  by  starvation,  or  death  by 
the  hands  of  the  mutineers. 

All  this  while,  as  I  say,  I  was  still  running,  and,  without 
taking  any  notice,  I  had  drawn  near  to  the  foot  of  the  little 
hill  with  the  two  peaks,  and  had  got  into  a  part  of  the  island 
where  the  live-oaks  grew  more  widely  apart,  and  seemed 
more  like  forest  trees  in  their  bearing  and  dimensions. 
Mingled  with  these  were  a  few  scattered  pines,  some  fifty, 
some  nearer  seventy,  feet  high.  The  air,  too,  smelt  more 
freshly  than  down  beside  the  marsh. 

And  here  a  fresh  alarm  brought  me  to  a  standstill  with  a 
thumping  heart. 


[110] 


CHAPTER  XV 
THE    MAN  OF  THE  ISLAND 

FROM  the  side  of  the  hill,  which  was  here  steep  and 
stony,  a  spout  of  gravel  was  dislodged,  and  fell 
rattling  and  bounding  through  the  trees.  My  eyes 
turned  instinctively  in  that  direction,  and  I  saw  a  figure  leap 
with  great  rapidity  behind  the  trunk  of  a  pine.  What  it  was, 
whether  bear  or  man  or  monkey,  I  could  in  no  wise  tell. 
It  seemed  dark  and  shaggy;  more  I  knew  not.  But  the 
terror  of  this  new  apparition  brought  me  to  a  stand. 

I  was  now,  it  seemed,  cut  off  upon  both  sides;  behind 
me  the  murderers,  before  me  this  lurking  nondescript.  And 
immediately  I  began  to  prefer  the  dangers  that  I  knew  to 
those  I  knew  not.  Silver  himself  appeared  less  terrible  in 
contrast  with  this  creature  of  the  woods,  and  I  turned  on  my 
heel,  and,  looking  sharply  behind  me  over  my  shoulder, 
began  to  retrace  my  steps  in  the  direction  of  the  boats. 

Instantly  the  figure  reappeared,  and,  making  a  wide  cir- 
cuit, began  to  head  me  off.  I  was  tired,  at  any  rate;  but 
had  I  been  as  fresh  as  when  I  rose,  I  could  see  it  was  in  vain 
for  me  to  contend  in  speed  with  such  an  adversary.  From 
trunk  to  trunk  the  creature  flitted  like  a  deer,  running  man- 
like on  two  legs,  but  unlike  any  man  that  I  had  ever  seen, 
stooping  almost  double  as  it  ran.  Yet  a  man  it  was,  I  could 
no  longer  be  in  doubt  about  that. 

tin] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

I  began  to  recall  what  I  had  heard  of  cannibals.  I  was 
within  an  ace  of  calling  for  help.  But  the  mere  fact  that  he 
was  a  man,  however  wild,  had  somewhat  reassured  me,  and 
my  fear  of  Silver  began  to  revive  in  proportion.  I  stood  still, 
therefore,  and  cast  about  for  some  method  of  escape;  and 
as  I  was  so  thinking,  the  recollection  of  my  pistol  flashed  into 
my  mind.  As  soon  as  I  remembered  I  was  not  defenceless, 
courage  glowed  again  in  my  heart ;  and  I  set  my  face  resolutely 
for  this  man  of  the  island,  and  walked  briskly  towards  him. 

He  was  concealed,  by  this  time,  behind  another  tree 
trunk;  but  he  must  have  been  watching  me  closely,  for  as 
soon  as  I  began  to  move  in  his  direction  he  reappeared  and 
took  a  step  to  meet  me.  Then  he  hesitated,  drew  back,  came 
forward  again,  and  at  last,  to  my  wonder  and  confusion, 
threw  himself  on  his  knees  and  held  out  his  clasped  hands 
in  supplication. 

At  that  I  once  more  stopped. 

"Who  are  you?"  I  asked. 

"Ben  Gunn,"  he  answered,  and  his  voice  sounded  hoarse 
and  awkward,  like  a  rusty  lock.  "I  'm  poor  Ben  Gunn,  I 
am;  and  I  haven't  spoke  with  a  Christian  these  three  years." 

I  could  now  see  that  he  was  a  white  man  like  myself, 
and  that  his  features  were  even  pleasing.  His  skin,  where- 
ever  it  was  exposed,  was  burnt  by  the  sun;  even  his  lips 
were  black ;  and  his  fair  eyes  looked  quite  startling  in  so  dark 
a  face.  Of  all  the  beggar-men  that  I  had  seen  or  fancied, 
he  was  the  chief  for  raggedness.  He  was  clothed  with  tatters 
of  old  ships'  canvas  and  old  sea  cloth;  and  this  extraordinary 
patchwork  was  all  held  together  by  a  system  of  the  most 


CD 

I  began  to  ;  cannibals.     I  was 

within  an  ac<  Bui         mere  fact  that  he 

was  a  11  ••  ^assured  me,  and 

my  :  v<  proportion.    I  stood  still, 

'  of  escape;  and 
j'tistol  flashed  into 
s  not  defenceless, 
my  face  resolutely 
Jy  towards  him. 

/  saw  a  figure  leap  with  great  rapidity  behind  the  trunk  of  a  pine 

>e  closely,  fo 
'a  he  reappeared  and 

drew  back,  came 

<>nder  and  confusion, 

iasped  hands 


"Bei  unded  L 

and  a\vk  m  poor  Ben  Gunn,  I 

,an  these  three  years." 

was  a  white  man  like  myself, 

his  feat  c  everi^ pleasing.     His  skin,  where- 

was  burnt  by  the  sun;    even  his 
ad  his  fair  eyes  looked  quite  startling  in  so  dark 
ue  beggar-men  that  I  had  seen  or  fan 
.  ggedness.     He  was  clothed,  with  fc> 
nd  old  sea  cloth;  and  this  extr  • 
ogethcr  -ftem  of  the 


THE  MAN  OF  THE  ISLAND 

various  and  incongruous  fastenings,  brass  buttons,  bits  of 
stick,  and  loops  of  tarry  gaskin.  About  his  waist  he  wore 
an  old  brass-buckled  leather  belt,  which  was  the  one  thing 
solid  in  his  whole  accoutrement. 

"Three  years!"   I  cried.     " Were  you  shipwrecked ?" 

"Nay,  mate,"  said  he  —  "marooned." 

I  had  heard  the  word,  and  I  knew  it  stood  for  a  horrible 
kind  of  punishment  common  enough  among  the  buccaneers, 
in  which  the  offender  is  put  ashore  with  a  little  powder  and 
shot,  and  left  behind  on  some  desolate  and  distant  island. 

"Marooned  three  years  agone,"  he  continued,  "and 
lived  on  goats  since  then,  and  berries,  and  oysters.  Where- 
ever  a  man  is,  says  I,  a  man  can  do  for  himself.  But,  mate, 
my  heart  is  sore  for  Christian  diet.  You  mightn't  happen 
to  have  a  piece  of  cheese  about  you,  now  ?  No  ?  Well, 
many  's  the  long  night  I  've  dreamed  of  cheese  —  toasted, 
mostly  —  and  woke  up  again,  and  here  I  were." 

"If  ever  I  can  get  aboard  again,"  said  I,  "you  shall  have 
cheese  by  the  stone." 

All  this  time  he  had  been  feeling  the  stuff  of  my  jacket, 
smoothing  my  hands,  looking  at  my  boots,  and  generally, 
in  the  intervals  of  his  speech,  showing  a  childish  pleasure  in 
the  presence  of  a  fellow-creature.  But  at  my  last  words  he 
perked  up  into  a  kind  of  startled  slyness. 

"If  ever  you  can  get  aboard  again,  says  you?"  he  re- 
peated. "Why,  now,  who  's  to  hinder  you?" 

"Not  you,  I  know,"  was  my  reply. 

"And  right  you  was,"  he  cried.  "Now  you  —  what  do 
you  call  yourself,  mate?" 

[113] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

"Jim,"  I  told  him. 

"Jim,  Jim,"  says  he,  quite  pleased  apparently.  "Well, 
now,  Jim,  I  've  lived  that  rough  as  you  'd  be  ashamed  to 
hear  of.  Now,  for  instance,  you  wouldn't  think  I  had  had 
a  pious  mother  —  to  look  at  me?"  he  asked. 

"  Why,  no,  not  in  particular,"  I  answered. 

"Ah,  well,"  said  he,  "but  I  had  —  remarkable  pious. 
And  I  was  a  civil,  pious  boy,  and  could  rattle  off  my  cate- 
chism that  fast,  as  you  couldn't  tell  one  word  from  another. 
And  here  's  what  it  come  to,  Jim,  and  it  begun  with  chuck- 
farthen  on  the  blessed  grave-stones !  That 's  what  it  begun 
with,  but  it  went  further  'n  that;  and  so  my  mother  told  me, 
and  predicked  the  whole,  she  did,  the  pious  woman!  But 
it  were  Providence  that  put  me  here.  I  've  thought  it  all 
out  in  this  here  lonely  island,  and  I  'm  back  on  piety.  You 
don't  catch  me  tasting  rum  so  much;  but  just  a  thimbleful 
for  luck,  of  course,  the  first  chance  I  have.  I  'm  bound  I  '11 
be  good,  and  I  see  the  way  to.  And,  Jim"  —  looking  all 
round  him,  and  lowering  his  voice  to  a  whisper  —  "I'm 
rich." 

I  now  felt  sure  that  the  poor  fellow  had  gone  crazy  in 
his  solitude,  and  I  suppose  I  must  have  shown  the  feeling 
in  my  face;  for  he  repeated  the  statement  hotly: 

"Rich!  rich!  I  says.  And  I  '11  tell  you  what:  I  '11  make 
a  man  of  you,  Jim.  Ah,  Jim,  you  '11  bless  your  stars,  you 
will,  you  was  the  first  that  found  me!" 

And  at  this  there  came  suddenly  a  lowering  shadow 
over  his  face,  and  he  tightened  his  grasp  upon  my  hand, 
and  raised  a  forefinger  threateningly  before  my  eyes. 

[114]    " 


THE   MAN  OF  THE   ISLAND 

"Now,  Jim,  you  tell  me  true:  that  ain't  Flint's  ship  ?"  he 
asked. 

At  this  I  had  a  happy  inspiration.  I  began  to  believe 
that  I  had  found  an  ally,  and  I  answered  him  at  once. 

"It's  not  Flint's  ship,  and  Flint  is  dead;  but  I'll  tell 
you  true,  as  you  ask  me  —  there  are  some  of  Flint's  hands 
aboard;  worse  luck  for  the  rest  of  us." 

"Not  a  man  —  with  one  —  leg  ?"   he  gasped. 

"Silver?"  I  asked. 

"Ah,  Silver!"   says  he;  "that  were  his  name." 

"He's  the  cook;  and  the  ringleader,  too." 

He  was  still  holding  me  by  the  wrist,  and  at  that  he  gave 
it  quite  a  wring. 

"If  you  was  sent  by  Long  John,"  he  said,  "I  'm  as  good 
as  pork,  and  I  know  it.  But  where  was  you,  do  you  suppose  ?" 

I  had  made  my  mind  up  in  a  moment,  and  by  way  of 
answer  told  him  the  whole  story  of  our  voyage,  and  the  pre- 
dicament in  which  we  found  ourselves.  He  heard  me  with 
the  keenest  interest,  and  when  I  had  done  he  patted  me  on 
the  head. 

"You  're  a  good  lad,  Jim,"  he  said;  "and  you  're  all  in 
a  clove  hitch,  ain't  you  ?  Well,  you  just  put  your  trust  in 
Ben  Gunn  —  Ben  Gunn  's  the  man  to  do  it.  Would  you 
think  it  likely,  now,  that  your  squire  would  prove  a  liberal- 
minded  one  in  case  of  help  —  him  being  in  a  clove  hitch,  as 
you  remark?" 

I  told  him  the  squire  was  the  most  liberal  of  men. 

"Ay,  but  you  see,"  returned  Ben  Gunn,  "I  didn't  mean 
giving  me  a  gate  to  keep,  and  a  shuit  of  livery  clothes,  and 

[115] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

such ;  that 's  not  my  mark,  Jim.  What  I  mean  is,  would 
he  be  likely  to  come  down  to  the  toon  of,  say  one  thous- 
and pounds  out  of  money  that 's  as  good  as  a  man's  own 
already?" 

"I  am  sure  he  would,"  said  I.  "As  it  was,  all  hands  were 
to  share." 

"And  a  passage  home?"  he  added,  with  a  look  of  great 
shrewdness. 

"Why,"  I  cried,  "the  squire's  a  gentleman.  And  be- 
sides, if  we  got  rid  of  the  others,  we  should  want  you  to  help 
work  the  vessel  home." 

"Ah,"  said  he,  "so  you  would."  And  he  seemed  very 
much  relieved. 

"Now,  I  '11  tell  you  what,"  he  went  on.  "So  much  I  '11 
tell  you,  and  no  more.  I  were  in  Flint's  ship  when  he  buried 
the  treasure;  he  and  six  along  —  six  strong  seamen.  They 
were  ashore  nigh  on  a  week,  and  us  standing  off  and  on  in 
the  old  Walrus.  One  fine  day  up  went  the  signal,  and  here 
come  Flint  by  himself  in  a  little  boat,  and  his  head  done 
up  in  a  blue  scarf.  The  sun  was  getting  up,  and  mortal 
white  he  looked  about  the  cutwater.  But,  there  he  was, 
you  mind,  and  the  six  all  dead  —  dead  and  buried.  How 
he  done  it,  not  a  man  aboard  us  could  make  out.  It  was 
battle,  murder,  and  sudden  death,  leastways  —  him  against 
six.  Billy  Bones  was  the  mate;  Long  John,  he  was  quarter- 
master; and  they  asked  him  where  the  treasure  was.  'Ah,' 
says  he,  'you  can  go  ashore,  if  you  like,  and  stay,'  he  says; 
'but  as  for  the  ship,  she'll  beat  up  for  more,  by  thunder!' 
That 's  what  he  said. 

[116] 


THE  MAN  OF  THE   ISLAND 

"Well,  I  was  in  another  ship  three  years  back,  and 
we  sighted  this  island.  'Boys,'  said  I,  'here  's  Flint's  treas- 
ure; let's  land  and  find  it.'  The  cap'n  was  displeased 
at  that;  but  my  messmates  were  all  of  a  mind,  and  landed. 
Twelve  days  they  looked  for  it,  and  every  day  they  had 
the  worse  word  for  me,  until  one  fine  morning  all  hands 
went  aboard.  'As  for  you,  Benjamin  Gunn,'  says  they, 
'here  's  a  musket,'  they  says,  'and  a  spade,  and  a  pickaxe. 
You  can  stay  here,  and  find  Flint's  money  for  yourself,' 
they  says. 

"Well,  Jim,  three  years  have  I  been  here,  and  not  a  bite 
of  Christian  diet  from  that  day  to  this.  But  now,  you  look 
here;  look  at  me.  Do  I  look  like  a  man  before  the  mast? 
No,  says  you.  Nor  I  weren't,  neither,  I  says." 

And  with  that  he  winked  and  pinched  me  hard. 

"Just  you  mention  them  words  to  your  squire,  Jim"  — 
he  went  on:  "Nor  he  weren't  neither  —  that's  the  words. 
Three  years  he  were  the  man  of  this  island,  light  and  dark, 
fair  and  rain;  and  sometimes  he  would,  maybe,  think  upon 
a  prayer  (says  you),  and  sometimes  he  would,  maybe,  think 
of  his  old  mother,  so  be  as  she  's  alive  (you  '11  say) ;  but 
the  most  part  of  Gunn's  time  (this  is  what  you  '11  say)  —  the 
most  part  of  his  time  was*took  up  with  another  matter.  And 
then  you  '11  give  him  a  nip,  like  I  do." 

And  he  pinched  me  again  in  the  most  confidential  man- 
ner. 

"Then,"  he  continued  —  "then  you  '11  up,  and  you  '11 
say  this :  —  Gunn  is  a  good  man  (you  '11  say) ,  and  he  puts 
a  precious  sight  more  confidence  —  a  precious  sight,  mind 

[117] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

that  —  in  a  gen'leman  born  than  in  these  gen'lemen  of  for- 
tune, having  been  one  hisself." 

"Well,"  I  said,  "I  don't  understand  one  word  that  you  've 
been  saying.  But  that 's  neither  here  nor  there,  for  how  am 
I  to  get  on  board?"  > 

"Ah,"  said  he,  "that 's  the  hitch,  for  sure.  Well,  there  's 
my  boat,  that  I  made  with  my  two  hands.  I  keep  her  under 
the  white  rock.  If  the  worst  come  to  the  worst,  we  might 
try  that  after  dark.  Hi!"  he  broke  out,  "what 's  that?" 

For  just  then,  although  the  sun  had  still  an  hour  or  two 
to  run,  all  the  echoes  of  the  island  awoke  and  bellowed  to 
the  thunder  of  a  cannon. 

"They  have  begun  to  fight!"   I  cried.     "Follow  me." 

And  I  began  to  run  towards  the  anchorage,  my  terrors 
all  forgotten;  while,  close  at  my  side,  the  marooned  man 
in  his  goatskins  trotted  easily  and  lightly. 

"Left,  left,"  says  he;  "keep  to  your  left  hand,  mate 
Jim !  Under  the  trees  with  you !  Theer  's  where  I  killed 
my  first  goat.  They  don't  come  down  here  now;  they  're 
all  mastheaded  on  them  mountings  for  the  fear  of  Benjamin 
Gunn.  Ah!  and  there's  the  cetemery" — cemetery,  he  must 
have  meant.  "You  see  the  mounds?  I  come  here  and 
prayed,  nows  and  thens,  when  I  thought  maybe  a  Sunday 
would  be  about  doo.  It  weren't  quite  a  chapel,  but  it  seemed 
more  solemn  like;  and  then,  says  you,  Ben  Gunn  was  short- 
handed  —  no  chapling,  nor  so  much  as  a  Bible  and  a  flag, 
you  says." 

So  he  kept  talking  as  I  ran,  neither  expecting  nor  receiving 
any  answer. 

[118] 


THE  MAN  OF  THE  ISLAND 

The  cannon-shot  was  followed,  after  a  considerable  in- 
terval, by  a  volley  of  small  arms. 

Another  pause,  and  then,  not  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  front 
of  me,  I  beheld  the  Union  Jack  flutter  hi  the  air  above  a 
wood. 


[119] 


PART  IV 
THE  STOCKADE 


CHAPTER  XVI 

NARRATIVE  CONTINUED  BY  THE  DOCTOR:  HOW 
THE  SHIP  WAS  ABANDONED 

:  •  2> 

IT  was  about  half -past  one  —  three  bells  in  the  sea  phrase 
—  that  the  two  boats  went  ashore  from  the  Hispaniola. 
The  captain,  the  squire,  and  I  were  talking  matters  over 
in  the  cabin.  Had  there  been  a  breath  of  wind,  we  should 
have  fallen  on  the  six  mutineers  who  were  left  aboard  with 
us,  slipped  our  cable,  and  away  to  sea.  But  the  wind  was 
wanting;  and,  to  complete  our  helplessness,  down  came 
Hunter  with  the  news  that  Jim  Hawkins  had  slipped  into  a 
boat  and  was  gone  ashore  with  the  rest. 

It  never  occurred  to  us  to  doubt  Jim  Hawkins;  but  we 
were  alarmed  for  his  safety.  With  the  men  in  the  temper 
they  were  in,  it  seemed  an  even  chance  if  we  should  see  the 
lad  again.  We  ran  on  deck.  The  pitch  was  bubbling  in 
the  seams;  the  nasty  stench  of  the  place  turned  me  sick; 
if  ever  a  man  smelt  fever  and  dysentery,  it  was  in  that  abom- 
inable anchorage.  The  six  scoundrels  were  sitting  grum- 
bling under  a  sail  in  the  forecastle;  ashore  we  could  see 
the  gigs  made  fast,  and  a  man  sitting  in  each,  hard  by 
where  the  river  runs  in.  One  of  them  was  whistling  "Lilli- 
bullero." 

Waiting  was  a  strain;  and  it  was  decided  that  Hunter 
[123] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

and  I  should  go  ashore  with  the  jolly-boat,  in  quest  of  infor- 
mation. 

The  gigs  had  leaned  to  their  right;  but  Hunter  and  I 
pulled  straight  in,  in  the  direction  of  the  stockade  upon  the 
chart.  The  two  who  were  left  guarding  their  boats  seemed 
in  a  bustle  at  our  appearance;  " Lillibullero "  stopped  off, 
and  I  could  see  the  pair  discussing  what  they  ought  to  do. 
Had  they  gone  and  told  Silver,  all  might  have  turned  out 
differently;  but  they  had  their  orders,  I  suppose,  and  decided 
to  sit  quietly  where  they  were  and  hark  back  again  to  "Lilli- 
bullero." 

There  was  a  slight  bend  in  the  coast,  and  I  steered  so 
as  to  put  it  between  us;  even  before  we  landed  we  had  thus 
lost  sight  of  the  gigs.  I  jumped  out  and  came  as  near  run- 
ning as  I  durst,  with  a  big  silk  handkerchief  under  my  hat  for 
coolness*  sake,  and  a  brace  of  pistols  ready  primed  for  safety. 

I  had  not  gone  a  hundred  yards  when  I  reached  the 
stockade. 

This  was  how  it  was:  a  spring  of  clear  water  rose  almost 
at  the  top  of  a  knoll.  Well,  on  the  knoll,  and  enclosing  the 
spring,  they  had  clapped  a  stout  log-house,  fit  to  hold  two 
score  of  people  on  a  pinch,  and  loopholed  for  musketry  on 
every  side.  All  round  this  they  had  cleared  a  wide  space, 
and  then  the  thing  was  completed  by  a  paling  six  feet  high, 
without  door  or  opening,  too  strong  to  pull  down  without 
time  and  labour,  and  too  open  to  shelter  the  besiegers.  The 
people  in  the  log-house  had  them  in  every  way;  they  stood 
quiet  in  shelter  and  shot  the  others  like  partridges.  All 
they  wanted  was  a  good  watch  and  food;  for,  short  of  a 

[  124  ] 


HOW  THE  SHIP  WAS  ABANDONED 

complete  surprise,  they  might  have  held  the  place  against  a 
regiment. 

What  particularly  took  my  fancy  was  the  spring.  For, 
though  we  had  a  good  enough  place  of  it  in  the  cabin  of  the 
Hispaniola,  with  plenty  of  arms  and  ammunition,  and  things 
to  eat,  and  excellent  wines,  there  had  been  one  thing  over- 
looked —  we  had  no  water.  I  was  thinking  this  over,  when 
there  came  ringing  over  the  island  the  cry  of  a  man  at  the 
point  of  death.  I  was  not  new  to  violent  death  —  I  have 
served  his  Royal  Highness  the  Duke  of  Cumberland,  and 
got  a  wound  myself  at  Fontenoy  —  but  I  know  my  pulse 
went  dot  and  carry  one.  "Jim  Hawkins  is  gone,"  was  my 
first  thought. 

It  is  something  to  have  been  an  old  soldier,  but  more 
still  to  have  been  a  doctor.  There  is  no  time  to  dilly-dally 
in  our  work.  And  so  now  I  made  up  my  mind  instantly,  and 
with  no  time  lost  returned  to  the  shore,  and  jumped  on 
board  the  jolly-boat. 

By  good  fortune  Hunter  pulled  a  good  oar.  We  made 
the  water  fly ;  and  the  boat  was  soon  alongside,  and  I  aboard 
the  schooner. 

I  found  them  all  shaken,  as  was  natural.  The  squire 
was  sitting  down,  as  white  as  a  sheet,  thinking  of  the  harm 
he  had  led  us  to,  the  good  soul!  and  one  of  the  six  forecastle 
hands  was  little  better. 

"There  's  a  man,'*  says  Captain  Smollett,  nodding  towards 
him,  "new  to  this  work.  He  came  nigh-hand  fainting, 
doctor,  when  he  heard  the  cry.  Another  touch  of  the  rudder 
and  that  man  would  join  us." 

[125] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

I  told  my  plan  to  the  captain,  and  between  us  we  settled 
on  the  details  of  its  accomplishment. 

We  put  old  Redruth  in  the  gallery  between  the  cabin 
and  the  forecastle,  with  three  or  four  loaded  muskets  and  a 
mattress  for  protection.  Hunter  brought  the  boat  round 
under  the  stern-port,  and  Joyce  and  I  set  to  work  loading 
her  with  powder-tins,  muskets,  bags  of  biscuits,  kegs  of 
pork,  a  cask  of  cognac,  and  my  invaluable  medicine-chest. 

In  the  meantime,  the  squire  and  the  captain  stayed  on 
deck,  and  the  latter  hailed  the  coxswain,  who  was  the  prin- 
cipal man  aboard. 

"Mr.  Hands,"  he  said,  "here  are  two  of  us  with  a  brace 
of  pistols  each.  If  any  one  of  you  six  makes  a  signal  of  any 
description,  that  man  Js  dead." 

They  were  a  good  deal  taken  aback;  and,  after  a  little 
consultation,  one  and  all  tumbled  down  the  fore  companion, 
thinking,  no  doubt,  to  take  us  on  the  rear.  But  when  they 
saw  Redruth  waiting  for  them  in  the  sparred  gallery,  they 
went  about  ship  at  once,  and  a  head  popped  out  again  on 
deck. 

"Down,  dog!"  cries  the  captain. 

And  the  head  popped  back  again ;  and  we  heard  no  more, 
for  the  time,  of  these  six  very  faint-hearted  seamen. 

By  this  time,  tumbling  things  in  as  they  came,  we  had 
the  jolly-boat  loaded  as  much  as  we  dared.  Joyce  and  I  got 
out  through  the  stern-port,  and  we  made  for  shore  again, 
as  fast  as  oars  could  take  us. 

This  second  trip  fairly  aroused  the  watchers  along  shore. 
" Lillibullero "  was  dropped  again;  and  just  before  we  lost 

[126] 


HOW  THE  SHIP  WAS  ABANDONED 

sight  of  them  behind  the  little  point,  one  of  them  whipped 
ashore  and  disappeared.  I  had  half  a  mind  to  change  my 
plan  and  destroy  their  boats,  but  I  feared  that  Silver  and 
the  others  might  be  close  at  hand,  and  all  might  very  well 
be  lost  by  trying  for  too  much. 

We  had  soon  touched  land  in  the  same  place  as  before, 
and  set  to  provision  the  block-house.  All  three  made  the 
first  journey,  heavily  laden,  and  tossed  our  stores  over  the 
palisade.  Then,  leaving  Joyce  to  guard  them  —  one  man, 
to  be  sure,  but  with  half  a  dozen  muskets  —  Hunter  and  I 
returned  to  the  jolly-boat,  and  loaded  ourselves  once  more. 
So  we  proceeded  without  pausing  to  take  breath,  till  the 
whole  cargo  was  bestowed,  when  the  two  servants  took  up 
their  position  in  the  block-house,  and  I,  with  all  my  power, 
sculled  back  to  the  Hispaniola. 

That  we  should  have  risked  a  second  boat-load  seems 
more  daring  than  it  really  was.  They  had  the  advantage 
of  numbers,  of  course,  but  we  had  the  advantage  of  arms. 
Not  one  of  the  men  ashore  had  a  musket,  and  before  they 
could  get  within  range  for  pistol  shooting,  we  flattered  our- 
selves we  should  be  able  to  give  a  good  account  of  a  half- 
dozen  at  least. 

The  squire  was  waiting  for  me  at  the  stern  window,  all 
his  faintness  gone  from  him.  He  caught  the  painter  and 
made  it  fast,  and  we  fell  to  loading  the  boat  for  our  very 
lives.  Pork,  powder,  and  biscuit  was  the  cargo,  with  only  a 
musket  and  a  cutlass  apiece  for  the  squire  and  me  and  Red- 
ruth  and  the  captain.  The  rest  of  the  arms  and  powder  we 
dropped  overboard  in  two  fathoms  and  a  half  of  water,  so 

[127] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

that  we  could  see  the  bright  steel  shining  far  below  us  in  the 
sun,  on  the  clean,  sandy  bottom. 

By  this  time  the  tide  was  beginning  to  ebb,  and  the  ship 
was  swinging  round  to  her  anchor.  Voices  were  heard 
faintly  halloaing  in  the  direction  of  the  two  gigs;  and  though 
this  reassured  us  for  Joyce  and  Hunter,  who  were  well  to 
the  eastward,  it  warned  our  party  to  be  off. 

Redruth  retreated  from  his  place  in  the  gallery,  and 
dropped  into  the  boat,  which  we  then  brought  round  to  the 
ship's  counter,  to  be  handier  for  Captain  Smollett. 

"Now,  men,"  said  he,  "do  you  hear  me?" 

There  was  no  answer  from  the  forecastle. 

"It's  to  you,  Abraham  Gray  —  it's  to  you  I  am  speak- 
ing." 

Still  no  reply. 

"Gray,"  resumed  Mr.  Smollett,  a  little  louder,  "I  am 
leaving  this  ship,  and  I  order  you  to  follow  your  captain.  I 
know  you  are  a  good  man  at  bottom,  and  I  dare  say  not 
one  of  the  lot  of  you  's  as  bad  as  he  makes  out.  I  have  my 
watch  here  in  my  hand;  I  give  you  thirty  seconds  to  join  me 
in." 

There  was  a  pause. 

"Come,  my  fine  fellow,"  continued  the  captain,  "don't 
hang  so  long  in  stays.  I  'm  risking  my  life,  and  the  lives  of 
these  good  gentlemen,  every  second." 

There  was  a  sudden  scuffle,  a  sound  of  blows,  and  out 
burst  Abraham  Gray  with  a  knife-cut  on  the  side  of  the 
cheek,  and  came  running  to  the  captain,  like  a  dog  to  the 
whistle. 

[128] 


HOW  THE   SHIP  WAS  ABANDONED 

"I  'm  with  you,  sir,"  said  he. 

And  the  next  moment  he  and  the  captain  had  dropped 
aboard  of  us,  and  we  had  shoved  off  and  given  way. 

We  were  clear  out  of  the  ship;  but  not  yet  ashore  in  our 
stockade. 


[129] 


CHAPTER  XYII 

NARRATIVE   CONTINUED   BY  THE   DOCTOR: 
THE   JOLLY-BOAT'S  LAST  TRIP 

i  ^ 

THIS    fifth  trip  was  quite  different  from   any  of  the 
others.     In  the  first  'place,  the   little  j^allijfot  of  a 
boat  that  we  were  in  was  gravely  overloaded.    Five 
grown  men,  and  three  of  them  —  Trelawney,  Redruth,  and 
the  captain  —  over  six  feet  high,  was  already  more  than  she 
was  meant  to  carry.     Add  to  that  the  powder,  pork,  and 
bread-bags.     The  gunwale  was  lipping  astern.     Several  times 
we  shipped  a  little  water,  and  my  breeches  and  the  tails  of 
my  coat  were  all  soaking  wet  before  we  had  gone  a  hundred 
yards. 

The  captain  made  us  trim  the  boat,  and  we  got  her  to 
lie  a  little  more  evenly.  All  the  same  we  were  afraid  to 
breathe. 

In  the  second  place,  the  ebb  was  now  making  —  a  strong 
rippling  current  running  westward  through  the  basin,  and 
then  south'ard  and  seaward  down  the  straits  by  which  we 
had  entered  in  the  morning.  Even  the  ripples  were  a  danger 
to  our  overloaded  craft;  but  the  worst  of  it  was  that  we  were 
swept  out  of  our  true  course,  and  away  from  our  proper 
landing-place  behind  the  point.  If  we  let  the  current  have 
its  way  we  should  come  ashore  beside  the  gigs,  where  the 
pirates  might  appear  at  any  moment. 

[130] 


THE   JOLLY-BOAT'S  LAST  TRIP 

"I  cannot  keep  her  head  for  the  stockade,  sir,"  said  I 
to  the  captain.  I  was  steering,  while  he  and  Redruth,  two 
fresh  men,  were  at  the  oars.  "The  tide  keeps  washing  her 
down.  Could  you  pull  a  little  stronger?" 

"Not  without  swamping  the  boat,"  said  he.  "You  must 
bear  up,  sir,  if  you  please  —  bear  up  until  you  see  you  're 
gaining." 

I  tried,  and  found  by  experiment  that  the  tide  kept  sweep- 
ing us  westward  until  I  had  laid  her  head  due  east,  or  just 
about  right  angles  to  the  way  we  ought  to  go. 

"We  '11  never  get  ashore  at  this  rate,"  said  I. 

"If  it  ss  the  only  course  that  we  can  lie,  sir,  we  must  even 
lie  it,"  returned  the  captain.  "We  must  keep  upstream. 
You  see,  sir,"  he  went  on,  "if  once  we  dropped  to  leeward 
of  the  landing-place,  it 's  hard  to  say  where  we  should  get 
ashore,  besides  the  chance  of  being  boarded  by  the  gigs; 
whereas,  the  way  we  go  the  current  must  slacken,  and  then 
we  can  dodge  back  along  the  shore." 

"The  current 's  less  a'ready,  sir,"  said  the  man  Gray, 
who  wras  sitting  in  the  fore-sheets;  "you  can  ease  her  off  a 
bit." 

"Thank  you,  my  man,"  said  I,  quite  as  if  nothing  had 
happened;  for  we  had  all  quietly  made  up  our  minds  to 
treat  him  like  one  of  ourselves. 

Suddenly  the  captain  spoke  up  again,  and  I  thought  his 
voice  was  a  little  changed. 

"The  gun!"  said  he. 

"I  have  thought  of  that,"  said  I,  for  I  made  sure  he  was 
thinking  of  a  bombardment  of  the  fort.  "They  could  never 

[131] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

get  the  gun  ashore,  and  if  they  did,  they  could  never  haul  it 
through  the  woods." 

"Look  astern  doctor,"  replied  the  captain. 

We  had  entirely  forgotten  the  long  nine;  and  there,  to 
our  horror,  were  the  five  rogues  busy  about  her,  getting  off 
her  jacket,  as  they  called  the  stout  tarpaulin  cover  under 
which  she  sailed.  Not  only  that,  but  it  flashed  into  my 
mind  at  the  same  moment  that  the  round-shot  and  the  powder 
for  the  gun  had  been  left  behind,  and  a  stroke  with  an  axe 
would  put  it  all  into  the  possession  of  the  evil  ones  aboard. 

"Israel  was  Flint's  gunner,"  said  Gray,  hoarsely. 

At  any  risk,  we  put  the  boat's  head  direct  for  the  landing 
place.  By  this  time  we  had  got  so  far  out  of  the  run  of  the 
current  that  we  kept  steerage  way  even  at  our  necessarily 
gentle  rate  of  rowing,  and  I  could  keep  her  steady  for  the 
goal.  But  the  worst  of  it  was,  that  with  the  course  I  now 
held,  we  turned  our  broadside  instead  of  our  stern  to  the 
Hispaniola,  and  offered  a  target  like  a  barn  door. 

I  could  hear,  as  well  as  see,  that  brandy-faced  rascal, 
Israel  Hands,  plumbing  down  a  round-shot  on  the  deck. 

"Who  's  the  best  shot?"   asked  the  captain. 

"Mr.  Trelawney,  out  and  away,"  said  I. 

"Mr.  Trelawney,  will  you  please  pick  me  off  one  of  these 
men,  sir  ?  Hands,  if  possible,"  said  the  captain. 

Trelawney  was  as  cool  as  steel.  He  looked  to  the  pri- 
ming of  his  gun. 

"Now,"  cried  the  captain,  "easy  with  that  gun,  sir,  or 
you  '11  swamp  the  boat.  All  hands  stand  by  to  trim  her  when 
he  aims." 

[132] 


THE   JOLLY-BOAT'S  LAST  TRIP 

The  squire  raised  his  gun,  the  rowing  ceased,  and  we 
leaned  over  to  the  other  side  to  keep  the  balance,  and  all 
was  so  nicely  contrived  that  we  did  not  ship  a  drop. 

They  had  the  gun,  by  this  time,  slewed  round  upon  the 
swivel,  and  Hands,  who  was  at  the  muzzle  with  the  rammer, 
was,  in  consequence,  the  most  exposed.  However,  we  had 
no  luck;  for  just  as  Trelawney  fired,  down  he  stooped,  the 
ball  whistled  over  him,  and  it  was  one  of  the  other  four  who 
fell. 

The  cry  he  gave  was  echoed,  not  only  by  his  companions 
on  board,  but  by  a  great  number  of  voices  from  the  shore, 
and  looking  in  that  direction  I  saw  the  other  pirates  trooping 
out  from  among  the  trees  and  tumbling  into  their  places  in 
the  boats. 

"Here  come  the  gigs,  sir,"  said  I. 

"Give  way  then,"  cried  the  captain.  "We  mustn't  mind 
if  we  swamp  her  now.  If  we  can't  get  ashore,  all 's  up." 

"Only  one  of  the  gigs  is  being  manned,  sir,"  I  added, 
"the  crew  of  the  other  most  likely  going  round  by  shore  to 
cut  us  off." 

"They  '11  have  a  hot  run,  sir,"  returned  the  captain. 
"Jack  ashore,  you  know.  It's  not  them  I  mind;  it's  the 
round-shot.  Carpet  bowls!  My  lady's  maid  couldn't  miss. 
Tell  us,  squire,  when  you  see  the  match,  and  we  '11  hold 
water." 

In  the  meanwhile  we  had  been  making  headway  at  a 
good  pace  for  a  boat  so  overloaded,  and  we  had  shipped 
but  little  water  in  the  process.  We  were  now  close  in;  thirty 
or  forty  strokes  and  we  should  beach  her;  for  the  ebb  had 

[133] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

already  disclosed  a  narrow  belt  of  sand  below  the  clustering 
trees.  The  gig  was  no  longer  to  be  feared;  the  little  point 
had  already  concealed  it  from  our  eyes.  The  ebb-tide, 
which  had  so  cruelly  delayed  us,  was  now  making  repara- 
tion, and  delaying  our  assailants.  The  one  source  of  danger 
was  the  gun. 

"If  I  durst,"  said  the  captain,  "I'd  stop  and  pick  off 
another  man." 

But  it  was  plain  that  they  meant  nothing  should  delay 
their  shot.  They  had  never  so  much  as  looked  at  their 
fallen  comrade,  though  he  was  not  dead,  and  I  could  see  him 
trying  to  crawl  away. 

"Ready!"   cried  the  squire. 

"Hold!"   cried  the  captain,  quick  as  an  echo. 

And  he  and  Redruth  backed  with  a  great  heave  that 
sent  her  stern  bodily  under  water.  The  report  fell  in  at  the 
same  insant  of  time.  This  was  the  first  that  Jim  heard, 
the  sound  of  the  squire's  shot  not  having  reached  him.  Where 
the  ball  passed,  not  one  of  us  precisely  knew;  but  I  fancy 
it  must  have  been  over  our  heads,  and  that  the  wind  of  it 
may  have  contributed  to  our  disaster. 

At  any  rate,  the  boat  sank  by  the  stern,  quite  gently,  in 
three  feet  of  water,  leaving  the  captain  and  myself,  facing 
each  other,  on  our  feet.  The  other  three  took  complete 
headers,  and  came  up  again,  drenched  and  bubbling. 

So  far  there  was  no  great  harm.  No  lives  were  lost,  and 
we  could  wade  ashore  in  safety.  But  there  were  all  our  stores 
at  the  bottom,  and,  to  make  things  worse,  only  two  guns  out 
of  five  remained  in  a  state  for  service.  Mine  I  had  snatched 

[134] 


THE   JOLLY-BOAT'S   LAST  TRIP 

from  my  knees  and  held  over  my  head,  by  a  sort  of  instinct. 
As  for  the  captain,  he  had  carried  his  over  his  shoulder  by 
a  bandoleer,  and,  like  a  wise  man,  lock  uppermost.  The 
other  three  had  gone  down  with  the  boat. 

To  add  to  our  concern,  we  heard  voices  already  drawing 
near  us  in  the  woods  along  the  shore ;  and  we  had  not  only 
the  danger  of  being  cut  off  from  the  stockade  in  our  half- 
crippled  state,  but  the  fear  before  us  whether,  if  Hunter  and 
Joyce  were  attacked  by  half  a  dozen,  they  would  have  the 
sense  and  conduct  to  stand  firm.  Hunter  was  steady,  that 
we  knew ;  Joyce  was  a  doubtful  case  —  a  pleasant,  polite 
man  for  a  valet,  and  to  brush  one's  clothes,  but  not  entirely 
fitted  for  a  man  of  war. 

With  all  this  in  our  minds,  we  waded  ashore  as  fast  as 
we  could,  leaving  behind  us  the  poor  jolly-boat,  and  a  good 
half  of  all  our  powder  and  provisions. 


[135] 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

NARRATIVE  CONTINUED  BY  THE  DOCTOR:   END 
OF  THE  FIRST  DAY'S  FIGHTING 

WE  made  our  best  speed  across  the  strip  of  wood 
that  now  divided  us  from  the  stockade;  and  at 
every  step  we  took  the  voices  of  the  buccaneers 
rang  nearer.  Soon  we  could  hear  their  footfalls  as  they  ran, 
and  the  cracking  of  the  branches  as  they  breasted  across  a 
bit  of  thicket. 

I  began  to  see  we  should  have  a  brush  for  it  in  earnest, 
and  looked  to  my  priming. 

"Captain,"  said  I,  "Trelawney  is  the  dead  shot.  Give 
him  your  gun;  his  own  is  useless." 

They  exchanged  guns,  and  Trelawney,  silent  and  cool 
as  he  had  been  since  the  beginning  of  the  bustle,  hung  a 
moment  on  his  heel  to  see  that  all  was  fit  for  service.  At 
the  same  time,  observing  Gray  to  be  unarmed,  I  handed  him 
my  cutlass.  It  did  all  our  hearts  good  to  see  him  spit  in  his 
hand,  knit  his  brows,  and  make  the  blade  sing  through  the 
air.  It  was  plain  from  every  line  of  his  body  that  our  new 
hand  was  worth  his  salt. 

Forty  paces  farther  we  came  to  the  edge  of  the  wood 
and  saw  the  stockade  in  front  of  us.  We  struck  the  enclo- 
sure about  the  middle  of  the  south  side,  and,  almost  at  the 
same  time,  seven  mutineers  —  Job  Anderson,  the  boatswain, 

[136] 


END  OF  THE  FIRST  DAY'S  FIGHTING 

at  their  head  —  appeared  in  full  cry  at  the  south-western 
corner. 

They  paused,  as  if  taken  aback;  and  before  they  re- 
covered, not  only  the  squire  and  I,  but  Hunter  and  Joyce  from 
the  block-house,  had  time  to  fire.  The  four  shots  came  in 
rather  a  scattering  volley;  but  they  did  the  business:  one  of 
the  enemy  actually  fell,  and  the  rest,  without  hesitation, 
turned  and  plunged  into  the  trees. 

After  reloading,  we  walked  down  the  outside  of  the  pali- 
sade to  see  to  the  fallen  enemy.  He  was  stone  dead  —  shot 
through  the  heart. 

We  began  to  rejoice  over  our  good  success,  when  just 
at  that  moment  a  pistol  cracked  in  the  bush,  a  ball  whistled 
close  past  my  ear,  and  poor  Tom  Redruth  stumbled  and  fell 
his  length  on  the  ground.  Both  the  squire  and  I  returned 
the  shot;  but  as  we  had  nothing  to  aim  at,  it  is  probable 
we  only  wasted  powder.  Then  we  reloaded,  and  turned  our 
attention  to  poor  Tom. 

The  captain  and  Gray  were  already  examining  him;  and 
I  saw  with  half  an  eye  that  all  was  over. 

I  believe  the  readiness  of  our  return  volley  had  scattered 
the  mutineers  once  more,  for  we  were  suffered  without  fur- 
ther molestation  to  get  the  poor  old  gamekeeper  hoisted  over 
the  stockade,  and  carried,  groaning  and  bleeding,  into  the 
log-house. 

Poor  old  fellow,  he  had  not  uttered  one  word  of  sur- 
prise, complaint,  fear,  or  even  acquiescence,  from  the  very 
beginning  of  our  troubles  till  now,  when  we  had  laid  him 
down  in  the  log-house  to  die.  He  had  lain  like  a  Trojan 

[137] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

behind  his  mattress  in  the  gallery;  he  had  followed  every 
order  silently,  doggedly,  and  well;  he  was  the  oldest  of  our 
party  by  a  score  of  years;  and  now,  sullen,  old,  serviceable 
servant,  it  was  he  that  was  to  die. 

The  squire  dropped  down  beside  him  on  his  knees  and 
kissed  his  hand,  crying  like  a  child. 

"Be  I  going,  doctor?"  he  asked. 

"Tom,  my  man,"  said  I,  "you  're  going  home." 

"I  wish  I  had  had  a  lick  at  them  with  the  gun  first,"  he 
replied. 

"Tom,"  said  the  squire,  "say  you  forgive  me,  won't  you  ?" 

"Would  that  be  respectful  like,  from  me  to  you,  squire?" 
was  the  answer.  "Howsoever,  so  be  it,  amen!" 

After  a  little  while  of  silence,  he  said  he  thought  somebody 
might  read  a  prayer.  "It's  the  custom,  sir,"  he  added, 
apologetically.  And  not  long  after,  without  another  word, 
he  passed  away. 

In  the  meantime  the  captain,  whom  I  had  observed  to  be 
wonderfully  swollen  about  the  chest  and  pockets,  had  turned 
out  a  great  many  various  stores  —  the  British  colours,  a 
Bible,  a  coil  of  stoutish  rope,  pen,  ink,  the  logbook,  and 
pounds  of  tobacco.  He  had  found  a  longish  fir-tree  lying 
felled  and  trimmed  in  the  enclosure,  and,  with  the  help  of 
Hunter,  he  had  set  it  up  at  the  corner  of  the  log-house,  where 
the  trunks  crossed  and  made  an  angle.  Then  climbing  on 
the  roof,  he  had  with  his  own  hand  bent  and  run  up  the 
colours. 

This  seemed  mightily  to  relieve  him.  He  re-entered  the 
log-house,  and  set  about  counting  up  the  stores,  as  if  nothing 

[138] 


gallery;    he  had  followed  every 

-  the  oldest  of  our 

.sullen,  old,  serviceable 


beside  him  on  his  knees  and 
hild. 
>ked. 

•  ;   -  're  going  home." 

ick  at  them  ^\m  first,"  he 

.  won't  you?" 

Then,  dimbing  on  the  roof,  he  had  with  his  own  hand  bent  1 1  uire  ? 

and  run  up  the  colors 

body 

:ded, 

«>er  word, 

ved  to  be 

d  turned 

a   colours,   a 

lie  logbook,  and 

longish  fir-tree  lying 

with  the  help  of 

:;er  of  the  log-house,  where 

ingle.     Then  climbing  on 

md  bent  and  run  up  the 

\  fie  re-entered  the 

•   • 


END  OF  THE  FIRST  DAY'S  FIGHTING 

else  existed.  But  he  had  an  eye  on  Tom's  passage  for  all 
that ;  and  as  soon  as  all  was  over,  came  forward  with  another 
flag,  and  reverently  spread  it  on  the  body. 

"Don't  you  take  on,  sir,"  he  said,  shaking  the  squire's 
hand.  "All 's  well  with  him;  no  fear  for  a  hand  that 's  been 
shot  down  in  his  duty  to  captain  and  owner.  It  mayn't  be 
good  divinity,  but  it 's  a  fact." 

Then  he  pulled  me  aside. 

"Dr.  Livesey,"  he  said,  "in  how  many  weeks  do  you  and 
squire  expect  the  consort  ?" 

I  told  him  it  was  a  question,  not  of  weeks,  but  of  months; 
that  if  we  were  not  back  by  the  end  of  August,  Blandly  was 
to  send  to  find  us;  but  neither  sooner  nor  later.  "You  can 
calculate  for  yourself,"  I  said. 

"Why,  yes,"  returned  the  captain,  scratching  his  head, 
"and  making  a  large  allowance,  sir,  for  all  the  gifts  of  Provi- 
dence, I  should  say  we  were  pretty  close  hauled." 

"How  do  you  mean  ?"   I  asked. 

"It 's  a  pity,  sir,  we  lost  that  second  load.  That 's  what 
I  mean,"  replied  the  captain.  "As  for  powder  and  shot, 
we  '11  do.  But  the  rations  are  short,  very  short  —  so  short, 
Dr.  Livesey,  that  we  're,  perhaps,  as  well  without  that  extra 
mouth." 

And  he  pointed  to  the  dead  body  under  the  flag. 

Just  then,  with  a  roar  and  a  whistle,  a  round-shot  passed 
high  above  the  roof  of  the  log-house  and  plumped  far  be- 
yond us  in  the  wood. 

"Oho!"  said  the  captain.  "Blaze  away!  You've  little 
enough  powder  already,  my  lads." 

[139] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

At  the  second  trial,  the  aim  was  better,  and  the  ball  de- 
scended inside  the  stockade,  scattering  a  cloud  of  sand,  but 
doing  no  further  damage. 

"Captain,"  said  the  squire,  "the  house  is  quite  invisible 
from  the  ship.  It  must  be  the  flag  they  are  aiming  at.  Would 
it  not  be  wiser  to  take  it  in  ?" 

"Strike  my  colours!"  cried  the  captain.  "No,  sir,  not  I"; 
and,  as  soon  as  he  had  said  the  words,  I  think  we  all  agreed 
with  him.  For  it  was  not  only  a  piece  of  stout,  seamanly 
good  feeling;  it  was  good  policy  besides,  and  showed  our 
enemies  that  we  despised  their  cannonade. 

All  through  the  evening  they  kept  thundering  away.  Ball 
after  ball  flew  over  or  fell  short,  or  kicked  up  the  sand  in 
the  enclosure;  but  they  had  to  fire  so  high  that  the  shot  fell 
dead  and  buried  itself  in  the  soft  sand.  We  had  no  ricochet 
to  fear;  and  though  one  popped  in  through  the  roof  of  the 
log-house  and  out  again  through  the  floor,  we  soon  got  used 
to  that  sort  of  horse-play,  and  minded  it  no  more  than  cricket. 

"There  is  one  thing  good  about  all  this,"  observed  the 
captain;  "the  wood  in  front  of  us  is  likely  clear.  The  ebb 
has  made  a  good  while;  our  stores  should  be  uncovered. 
Volunteers  to  go  and  bring  in  pork." 

Gray  and  Hunter  were  the  first  to  come  forward.  Well 
armed,  they  stole  out  of  the  stockade;  but  it  proved  a  use- 
less mission.  The  mutineers  were  bolder  than  we  fancied, 
or  they  put  more  trust  in  Israel's  gunnery.  For  four  or  five 
of  them  were  busy  carrying  off  our  stores,  and  wading  out 
with  them  to  one  of  the  gigs  that  lay  close  by,  pulling  an 
oar  or  so  to  hold  her  steady  against  the  current.  Silver  was 

[140] 


END   OF  THE  FIRST  DAY'S  FIGHTING 

in  the  stern-sheets  in  command;  and  every  man  of  them 
was  now  provided  with  a  musket  from  some  secret  magazine 
of  their  own. 

The  captain  sat  down  to  his  log,  and  here  is  the  begin- 
ning of  the  entry: 

Alexander  Smollett,  master;  David  Livesey,  ship's  doctor; 
Abraham  Gray,  carpenter's  mate;  John  Trelawney,  owner; 
John  Hunter  and  Richard  Joyce,  owner's  servants,  landsmen 
—  being  all  that  is  left  faithful  of  the  ship's  company  —  with 
stores  for  ten  days  at  short  rations,  came  ashore  this  day, 
and  flew  British  colours  on  the  log-house  in  Treasure  Island. 
Thomas  Redruth,  owner's  servant,  landsman,  shot  by  the 
mutineers;  James  Hawkins,  cabin-boy " 

And  at  the  same  time  I  was  wondering  over  poor  Jim 
Hawkins's  fate. 

A  hail  on  the  land  side. 

"Somebody  hailing  us,"  said  Hunter,  who  was  on  guard. 

"Doctor!  squire!  captain!  Hullo,  Hunter,  is  that  you?" 
came  the  cries. 

And  I  ran  to  the  door  in  time  to  see  Jim  Hawkins,  safe  and 
sound,  come  climbing  over  the  stockade. 


[141] 


CHAPTER  XIX 

NARRATIVE  RESUMED  BY  JIM  HAWKINS:     THE 
GARRISON  IN  THE  STOCKADE 

A  soon   as   Ben  Gunn  saw  the  colours  he   came  to  a 
halt,  stopped  me  by  the  arm,  and  sat  down. 
"Now,"    said    he,  "there  's    your   friends,   sure 
enough." 

"Far  more  likely  it's  the  mutineers,"  I  answered. 

"That!"  he  cried.  "Why,  in  a  place  like  this,  where 
nobody  puts  in  but  gen'lemen  of  fortune,  Silver  would  fly 
the  Jolly  Roger,  you  don't  make  no  doubt  of  that.  No ;  that 's 
your  friends.  There  's  been  blows,  too,  and  I  reckon  your 
friends  has  had  the  best  of  it;  and  here  they  are  ashore  in 
the  old  stockade,  as  was  made  years  and  years  ago  by  Flint. 
Ah,  he  was  the  man  to  have  a  headpiece,  was  Flint!  Bar- 
ring rum,  his  match  were  never  seen.  He  were  afraid  of 
none,  not  he;  on'y  Silver  —  Silver  was  that  genteel." 

"Well,"  said  I,  "that  may  be  so,  and  so  be  it;  all  the  more 
reason  that  I  should  hurry  on  and  join  my  friends." 

"Nay,  mate,"  returned  Ben,  "not  you.  You  're  a  good 
boy,  or  I  'm  mistook;  but  you  're  on'y  a  boy,  all  told.  Now, 
Ben  Gunn  is  fly.  Rum  wouldn't  bring  me  there,  where 
you  're  going  —  not  rum  wouldn't,  till  I  see  your  born 
gen'leman,  and  gets  it  on  his  word  of  honour.  And  you 

[142] 


THE   GARRISON  IN  THE   STOCKADE 

won't  forget  my  words:   'A  precious  sight  (that 's  what  you  '11 
say),  a  precious  sight  more  confidence'  —  and  then  nips  him." 

And  he  pinched  me  the  third  time  with  the  same  air  of 
cleverness. 

"And  when  Ben  Gunn  is  wanted,  you  know  where  to 
find  him,  Jim.  Just  where  you  found  him  to-day.  And 
him  that  comes  is  to  have  a  white  thing  in  his  hand:  and 
he  's  to  come  alone.  Oh!  and  you  '11  say  this:  'Ben  Gunn,' 
says  you,  'has  reasons  of  his  own.'" 

"Well,"  said  I,  "I  believe  I  understand.  You  have 
something  to  propose,  and  you  wish  to  see  the  squire  or  the 
doctor;  and  you  're  to  be  found  where  I  found  you.  Is  that 
all?" 

"And  when?  says  you,"  he  added.  "Why,  from  about 
noon  observation  to  about  six  bells." 

"Good,"  said  I,   "and  now  may  I  go?" 

"You  won't  forget?"  he  inquired,  anxiously.  "Precious 
sight,  and  reasons  of  his  own,  says  you.  Reasons  of  his  own ; 
that 's  the  mainstay;  as  between  man  and  man.  Well, 
then"  —  still  holding  me  —  "I  reckon  you  can  go,  Jim. 
And,  Jim,  if  you  was  to  see  Silver,  you  wouldn't  go  for  to 
sell  Ben  Gunn  ?  wild  horses  wouldn't  draw  it  from  you  ? 
No,  says  you.  And  if  them  pirates  camp  ashore,  Jim,  what 
would  you  say  but  there  'd  be  widders  in  the  morning?" 

Here  he  was  interrupted  by  a  loud  report,  and  a  cannon 
ball  came  tearing  through  the  trees  and  pitched  in  the  sand, 
not  a  hundred  yards  from  where  we  two  were  talking.  The 
next  moment  each  of  us  had  taken  to  his  heels  in  a  different 
direction. 

[143] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

For  a  good  hour  to  come  frequent  reports  shook  the 
island,  and  balls  kept  crashing  through  the  woods.  I  moved 
from  hiding-place  to  hiding-place,  always  pursued,  or  so 
it  seemed  to  me,  by  these  terrifying  missiles.  But  towards 
the  end  of  the  bombardment,  though  still  I  durst  not  venture 
in  the  direction  of  the  stockade,  where  the  balls  fell  oftenest, 
I  had  begun,  in  a  manner,  to  pluck  up  my  heart  again;  and 
after  a  long  detour  to  the  east,  crept  down  among  the  shore- 
side  trees. 

The  sun  had  just  set,  the  sea  breeze  was  rustling  and 
tumbling  in  the  woods,  and  ruffling  the  grey  surface  of  the 
anchorage;  the  tide,  too,  was  far  out,  and  great  tracts  of 
sand  lay  uncovered ;  the  air,  after  the  heat  of  the  day,  chilled 
me  through  my  jacket. 

The  Hispaniola  still  lay  where  she  had  anchored;  but, 
sure  enough,  there  was  the  Jolly  Roger  —  the  black  flag  of 
piracy  —  flying  from  her  peak.  Even  as  I  looked,  there 
came  another  red  flash  and  another  report,  that  sent  the 
echoes  clattering,  and  one  more  round  shot  whistled  through 
the  air.  It  was  the  last  of  the  cannonade. 

I  lay  for  some  time,  watching  the  bustle  which  succeeded 
the  attack.  Men  were  demolishing  something  with  axes  on 
the  beach  near  the  stockade ;  the  poor  jolly-boat,  I  afterwards 
discovered.  Away,  near  the  mouth  of  the  river,  a  great  fire 
was  glowing  among  the  trees,  and  between  that  point  and 
the  ship  one  of  the  gigs  kept  coming  and  going,  the  men, 
whom  I  had  seen  so  gloomy,  shouting  at  the  oars  like  chil- 
dren. But  there  was  a  sound  in  their  voices  which  suggested 
rum. 

[144] 


THE   GARRISON  IN  THE  STOCKADE 

At  length  I  thought  I  might  return  towards  the  stockade. 
I  was  pretty  far  down  on  the  low,  sandy  spit  that  encloses 
the  anchorage  to  the  east,  and  is  joined  at  half-water  to  Skele- 
ton Island;  and  now,  as  I  rose  to  my  feet,  I  saw,  some  dis- 
tance further  down  the  spit,  and  rising  from  among  low 
bushes,  an  isolated  rock,  pretty  high,  and  peculiarly  white 
in  colour.  It  occurred  to  me  that  this  might  be  the  white 
rock  of  which  Ben  Gunn  had  spoken  and  that  some  day  or 
other  a  boat  might  be  wanted,  and  I  should  know  where  to 
look  for  one. 

Then  I  skirted  among  the  woods  until  I  had  regained  the 
rear,  or  shoreward  side,  of  the  stockade,  and  was  soon  warmly 
welcomed  by  the  faithful  party. 

I  had  soon  told  my  story,  and  began  to  look  about  me. 
The  log-house  was  made  of  unsquared  trunks  of  pine  —  roof, 
walls,  and  floor.  The  latter  stood  in  several  places  as  much 
as  a  foot  or  a  foot  and  a  half  above  the  surface  of  the  sand. 
There  was  a  porch  at  the  door,  and  under  this  porch  the 
little  spring  welled  up  into  an  artificial  basin  of  a  rather  odd 
kind  —  no  other  than  a  great  ship's  kettle  of  iron,  with  the 
bottom  knocked  out,  and  sunk  "to  her  bearings,"  as  the 
captain  said,  among  the  sand. 

Little  had  been  left  beside  the  framework  of  the  house; 
but  in  one  corner  there  was  a  stone  slab  laid  down  by  way 
of  hearth,  and  an  old  rusty  iron  basket  to  contain  the  fire. 

The  slopes  of  the  knoll  and  all  the  inside  of  the  stockade 
had  been  cleared  of  timber  to  build  the  house,  and  we  could 
see  by  the  stumps  what  a  fine  and  lofty  grove  had  been  de- 
stroyed. Most  of  the  soil  had  been  washed  away  or  buried 

[145] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

in  drift  after  the  removal  of  the  trees ;  only  where  the  stream- 
let ran  down  from  the  kettle  a  thick  bed  of  moss  and  some 
ferns  and  little  creeping  bushes  were  still  green  among  the 
sand.  Very  close  around  the  stockade — too  close  for  defence, 
they  said — the  wood  still  flourished  high  and  dense,  all  of 
fir  on  the  land  side,  but  towards  the  sea  with  a  large  ad- 
mixture of  live-oaks. 

The  cold  evening  breeze,  of  which  I  have  spoken,  whistled 
through  every  chink  of  the  rude  building,  and  sprinkled  the 
floor  with  a  continual  rain  of  fine  sand.  There  was  sand  in 
our  eyes,  sand  in  our  teeth,  sand  in  our  suppers,  sand  dancing 
in  the  spring  at  the  bottom  of  the  kettle,  for  all  the  world 
like  porridge  beginning  to  boil.  Our  chimney  was  a  square 
hole  in  the  roof;  it  was  but  a  little  part  of  the  smoke  that 
found  its  way  out,  and  the  rest  eddied  about  the  house,  and 
kept  us  coughing  and  piping  the  eye. 

Add  to  this  that  Gray,  the  new  man,  had  his  face  tied 
up  in  a  bandage  for  a  cut  he  had  got  in  breaking  away  from 
the  mutineers;  and  that  poor  old  Tom  Redruth,  still  un- 
buried,  lay  along  the  wall,  stiff  and  stark,  under  the  Union 
Jack. 

If  we  had  been  allowed  to  sit  idle,  we  should  all  have 
fallen  in  the  blues,  but  Captain  Smollett  was  never  the  man  for 
that.  All  hands  were  called  up  before  him,  and  he  divided 
us  into  watches.  The  doctor,  and  Gray,  and  I,  for  one;  the 
squire,  Hunter,  and  Joyce,  upon  the  other.  Tired  though  we 
all  were,  two  were  sent  out  for  firewood;  two  more  were  set 
to  dig  a  grave  for  Redruth;  the  doctor  was  named  cook;  I 
was  put  sentry  at  the  door;  and  the  captain  himself  went 

[146] 


THE   GARRISON  IN  THE  STOCKADE 

from  one  to  another,  keeping  up  our  spirits  and  lending  a 
hand  wherever  it  was  wanted. 

From  time  to  time  the  doctor  came  to  the  door  for  a 
little  air  and  to  rest  his  eyes,  which  were  almost  smoked 
out  of  his  head;  and  whenever  he  did  so,  he  had  a  word 
for  me. 

"That  man  Smollett,"  he  said  once,  "is  a  better  man  than 
I  am.  And  when  I  say  that  it  means  a  deal,  Jim." 

Another  time  he  came  and  was  silent  for  awhile.  Then 
he  put  his  head  on  one  side,  and  looked  at  me. 

"Is  this  Ben  Gunn  a  man?"    he  asked. 

"I  do  not  know,  sir,"  said  I.  "I  am  not  very  sure  whether 
he  's  sane." 

"If  there  's  any  doubt  about  the  matter,  he  is,"  returned 
the  doctor.  "A  man  who  has  been  three  years  biting 
his  nails  on  a  desert  island,  Jim,  can't  expect  to  appear  as 
sane  as  you  or  me.  It  doesn't  lie  in  human  nature.  Was 
it  cheese  you  said  he  had  a  fancy  for?" 

"Yes,  sir,  cheese,"  I  answered. 

"Well,  Jim,"  says  he,  "just  see  the  good  that  comes  of 
being  dainty  in  your  food.  You  've  seen  my  snuff-box, 
haven't  you?  And  you  never  saw  me  take  snuff;  the  rea- 
son being  that  in  my  snuff-box  I  carry  a  piece  of  Parmesan 
cheese  —  a  cheese  made  in  Italy,  very  nutritious.  Well, 
that's  for  Ben  Gunn!" 

Before  supper  was  eaten  we  buried  old  Tom  in  the  sand, 
and  stood  round  him  for  awhile  bareheaded  in  the  breeze. 
A  good  deal  of  firewood  had  been  got  in,  but  not  enough  for 
the  captain's  fancy;  and  he  shook  his  head  over  it,  and  told 

[147] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

us  we  "must  get  back  to  this  to-morrow  rather  livelier." 
Then,  when  we  had  eaten  our  pork,  and  each  had  a  good 
stiff  glass  of  brandy  grog,  the  three  chiefs  got  together  in  a 
corner  to  discuss  our  prospects. 

It  appears  they  were  at  their  wit's  end  what  to  do,  the 
stores  being  so  low  that  we  must  have  been  starved  into 
surrender  long  before  help  came.  But  our  best  hope,  it  was 
decided,  was  to  kill  off  the  buccaneers  until  they  either  hauled 
down  their  flag  or  ran  away  with  the  Hispaniola.  From  nine- 
teen they  were  already  reduced  to  fifteen,  two  others  were 
wounded,  and  one,  at  least  —  the  man  shot  beside  the  gun  — 
severely  wounded,  if  he  were  not  dead.  Every  time  we  had 
a  crack  at  them,  we  were  to  take  it,  saving  our  own  lives, 
with  the  extremest  care.  And,  besides  that,  we  had  two  able 
allies!  rum  and  the  climate. 

As  for  the  first,  though  we  were  about  half  a  mile  away, 
we  could  hear  them  roaring  and  singing  late  into  the  night; 
and  as  for  the  second,  the  doctor  staked  his  wig  that,  camped 
where  they  were  in  the  marsh,  and  unprovided  with  remedies, 
the  half  of  them  would  be  on  their  backs  before  a  week. 

"So,"  he  added,  "if  we  are  not  all  shot  down  first,  they  '11 
be  glad  to  be  packing  in  the  schooner.  It 's  always  a  ship, 
and  they  can  get  to  buccaneering  again,  I  suppose." 

"First  ship  that  ever  I  lost,"  said  Captain  Smollett. 

I  was  dead  tired,  as  you  may  fancy;  and  when  I  got  to 
sleep,  which  was  not  till  after  a  great  deal  of  tossing,  I  slept 
like  a  log  of  wood. 

The  rest  had  long  been  up,  and  had  already  breakfasted 
and  increased  the  pile  of  firewood  by  about  half  as  much 

[148] 


THE   GARRISON  IN  THE   STOCKADE 

again,  when  I  was  wakened  by  a  bustle  and  the  sound  of 
voices. 

"Flag  of  truce!"  I  heard  some  one  say;  and  then,  imme- 
diately after,  with  a  cry  of  surprise,  "Silver  himself!" 

And,  at  that,  up  I  jumped,  and,  rubbing  my  eyes,  ran  to 
a  loophole  in  the  wall. 


[149] 


CHAPTER  XX 
SILVER'S  EMBASSY 

SURE  enough,  there  were  two  men  just  outside  the 
stockade,  one  of  them  waving  a  white  cloth;  the 
other,  no  less  a  person  than  Silver  himself,  standing 
placidly  by. 

It  was  still  quite  early,  and  the  coldest  morning  that  I 
think  I  ever  was  abroad  in;  a  chill  that  pierced  into  the 
marrow.  The  sky  was  bright  and  cloudless  overhead,  and 
the  tops  of  the  trees  shone  rosily  in  the  sun.  But  where  Silver 
stood  with  his  lieutenant  all  was  still  in  shadow,  and  they 
waded  knee-deep  in  a  low,  white  vapour  that  had  crawled 
during  the  night  out  of  the  morass.  The  chill  and  the  va- 
pour taken  together  told  a  poor  tale  of  the  island.  It  was 
plainly  a  damp,  feverish,  unhealthy  spot. 

"Keep  indoors,  men,"  said  the  captain.  "Ten  to  one 
this  is  a  trick." 

Then  he  hailed  the  buccaneer. 

"  Who  goes  ?     Stand,  or  we  fire." 

"Flag  of  truce,"  cried  Silver. 

The  captain  was  in  the  porch,  keeping  himself  carefully 
out  of  the  way  of  a  treacherous  shot  should  any  be  intended. 
He  turned  and  spoke  to  us : 

"Doctor's  watch  on  the  look-out.  Dr.  Livesey,  take  the 
north  side,  if  you  please;  Jim,  the  east;  Gray,  west.  The 

[150] 


SILVER'S  EMBASSY 

watch  below,  all  hands  to  load  muskets.  Lively,  men,  and 
careful." 

And  then  he  turned  again  to  the  mutineers. 

"And  what  do  you  want  with  your  flag  of  truce?"  he 
cried. 

This  time  it  was  the  other  man  who  replied. 

"Cap'n  Silver,  sir,  to  come  on  board  and  make  terms," 
he  shouted. 

"Cap'n  Silver!  Don't  know  him.  Who  's  he  ?"  cried  the 
captain.  And  we  could  hear  him  adding  to  himself:  "Cap'n, 
is  it?  My  heart,  and  here  's  promotion!" 

Long  John  answered  for  himself. 

"Me,  sir.  These  poor  lads  have  chosen  me  cap'n,  after 
your  desertion,  sir"  —  laying  a  particular  emphasis  upon  the 
word  "desertion."  "We  're  willing  to  submit,  if  we  can  come 
to  terms,  and  no  bones  about  it.  All  I  ask  is  your  word, 
Cap'n  Smollett,  to  let  me  safe  and  sound  out  of  this  here 
stockade,  and  one  minute  to  get  out  o'  shot  before  a  gun 
is  fired." 

"My  man,"  said  Captain  Smollett,  "I  have  not  the  slight- 
est desire  to  talk  to  you.  If  you  wish  to  talk  to  me,  you  can 
come,  that 's  all.  If  there  's  any  treachery,  it  '11  be  on  your 
side,  and  the  Lord  help  you." 

"That 's  enough,  cap'n,"  shouted  Long  John,  cheerily. 
"A  word  from  you  's  enough.  I  know  a  gentleman,  and  you 
may  lay  to  that." 

We  could  see  the  man  who  carried  the  flag  of  truce  at- 
tempting to  hold  Silver  back.  Nor  was  that  wonderful,  seeing 
how  cavalier  had  been  the  captain's  answer.  But  Silver 

[151] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

laughed  at  him  aloud,  and  slapped  him  on  the  back,  as  if 
the  idea  of  alarm  had  been  absurd.  Then  he  advanced  to 
the  stockade,  threw  over  his  crutch,  got  a  leg  up,  and  with 
great  vigour  and  skill  succeeded  in  surmounting  the  fence 
and  dropping  safely  to  the  other  side. 

I  will  confess  that  I  was  far  too  much  taken  up  with  what 
was  going  on  to  be  of  the  slightest  use  as  sentry;  indeed,  I 
had  already  deserted  my  eastern  loophole,  and  crept  up  behind 
the  captain,  who  had  now  seated  himself  on  the  threshold, 
with  his  elbows  on  his  knees,  his  head  in  his  hands,  and  his 
eyes  fixed  on  the  water,  as  it  bubbled  out  of  the  old  iron  kettle 
in  the  sand.  He  was  whistling  to  himself,  "Come,  Lasses  and 
Lads." 

Silver  had  terrible  hard  work  getting  up  the  knoll.  What 
with  the  steepness  of  the  incline,  the  thick  tree  stumps,  and 
the  soft  sand,  he  and  his  crutch  were  as  helpless  as  a  ship 
in  stays.  But  he  stuck  to  it  like  a  man  in  silence,  and  at 
last  arrived  before  the  captain,  whom  he  saluted  in  the  hand- 
somest style.  He  was  tricked  out  in  his  best;  an  immense 
blue  coat,  thick  with  brass  buttons,  hung  as  low  as  to  his 
knees,  and  a  fine  laced  hat  was  set  on  the  back  of  his  head. 

"Here  you  are,  my  man,"  said  the  captain,  raising  his 
head.  "You  had  better  sit  down." 

"You  ain't  a-going  to  let  me  inside,  cap'n?"  complained 
Long  John.  "It's  a  main  cold  morning,  to  be  sure,  sir,  to 
sit  outside  upon  the  sand." 

"Why,  Silver,"  said  the  captain,  "if  you  had  pleased  to 
be  an  honest  man,  you  might  have  been  sitting  in  your  galley. 
It 's  your  own  doing.  You  're  either  my  ship's  cook  —  and 

[152] 


SILVER'S  EMBASSY 

then  you  were  treated  handsome  —  or  Cap'n  Silver,  a  com- 
mon mutineer  and  pirate,  and  then  you  can  g»  hang!" 

"Well,  well,  cap'n,"  returned  the  sea  cook,  sitting  down 
as  he  was  bidden  on  the  sand,  "you  '11  have  to  give  me  a 
hand  up  again,  that 's  all.  A  sweet  pretty  place  you  have 
of  it  here.  Ah,  there  's  Jim !  The  top  of  the  morning  to 
you,  Jim.  Doctor,  here  's  my  service.  Why,  there  you  all 
are  together  like  a  happy  family,  in  a  manner  of  speaking." 

"If  you  have  anything  to  say,  my  man,  better  say  it," 
said  the  captain. 

"Right  you  were,  Cap'n  Smollett,"  replied  Silver.  "Dooty 
is  dooty,  to  be  sure.  Well,  now,  you  look  here,  that  was  a 
good  lay  o|  yours  last  night.  I  don't  deny  it  was  a  good  lay. 
Some  oSyou  pretty  handy  with  a  handspike-end.  And  I  '11 
not  deny  neither  but  what  some  of  my  people  was  shook  — 
maybe  all  was  shook;  maybe  I  was  shook  myself;  maybe 
that 's  why  I  'm  here  for  terms.  But  you  mark  me,  cap'n, 
it  won't  do  twice,  by  thunder!  We  '11  have  to  do  sentry-go, 
and  ease  off  a  point  or  so  on  the  rum.  Maybe  you  think  we 
were  all  a  sheet  in  the  wind's  eye.  But  I  '11  tell  you  I  was 
sober;  I  was  on'y  dog  tired;  and  if  I  'd  awoke  a  second 
sooner  I  'd  'a'  caught  you  at  the  act,  I  would.  He  wasn't 
dead  when  I  got  round  to  him,  not  he." 

"Well?"   says  Captain  Smollett,  as  cool  as  can  be. 

All  that  Silver  said  was  a  riddle  to  him,  but  you  would 
never  have  guessed  it  from  his  tone.  As  for  me,  I  began 
to  have  an  inkling.  Ben  Gunn's  last  words  came  back  to 
my  mind.  I  began  to  suppose  that  he  had  paid  the  bucca- 
neers a  visit  while  they  all  lay  drunk  together  round  their 

[153] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

fire,  and  I  reckoned  up  with  glee  that  we  had  only  fourteen 
enemies  to  deafc  with. 

"Well,  here  it  is,"  said  Silver.  "We  want  that  treasure, 
and  we  '11  have  it  —  that 's  our  point !  You  would  just  as 
soon  save  your  lives,  I  reckon;  and  that 's  yours.  You  have 
a  chart,  haven't  you  ?" 

"That 's  as  may  be,"  replied  the  captain. 

"Oh,  well,  you  have,  I  know  that,"  returned  Long  John. 
"You  needn't  be  so  husky  with  a  man;  there  ain't  a  particle 
of  service  in  that,  and  you  may  lay  to  it.  What  I  mean  is,  we 
want  your  chart.  Now,  I  never  meant  you  no  harm,  myself." 

"That  won't  do  with  me,  my  man,"  interrupted  the  cap- 
tain. "We  know  exactly  what  you  meant  to  do,  and  we 
don't  care;  for  now,  you  see,  you  can't  do  it." 

And  the  captain  looked  at  him  calmly,  and  proceeded  to 
fill  a  pipe. 

"If  Abe  Gray "     Silver  broke  out. 

"Avast  there!"  cried  Mr.  Smollett.  "Gray  told  me  noth- 
ing, and  I  asked  him  nothing;  and  what  's  more,  I  would 
see  you  and  him  and  this  whole  island  blown  clean  out  of 
the  water  into  blazes  first.  So  there  's  my  mind  for  you, 
my  man,  on  that." 

This  little  whiff  of  temper  seemed  to  cool  Silver  down. 
He  had  been  growing  nettled  before,  but  now  he  pulled  him- 
self together. 

"Like  enough,"  said  he.  "I  would  set  no  limits  to  what 
gentlemen  might  consider  shipshape,  or  might  not,  as  the 
case  were.  And,  seein'  as  how  you  are  about  to  take  a  pipe, 
cap'n,  I  '11  make  so  free  as  do  likewise." 

[154] 


SILVER'S  EMBASSY 

And  he  filled  a  pipe  and  lighted  it;  and  the  two  men 
sat  silently  smoking  for  quite  awhile,  now  looking  each 
other  in  the  face,  now  stopping  their  tobacco,  now  leaning 
forward  to  spit.  It  was  as  good  as  the  play  to  see  them. 

"Now,"  resumed  Silver,  "here  it  is.  You  give  us  the 
chart  to  get  the  treasure  by,  and  drop  shooting  poor  seamen, 
and  stoving  of  their  heads  in  while  asleep.  You  do  that, 
and  we  '11  offer  you  a  choice.  Either  you  come  aboard  along 
of  us,  once  the  treasure  shipped,  and  then  I  '11  give  you  my 
affy-davy,  upon  my  word  of  honour,  to  clap  you  somewhere 
safe  ashore.  Or,  if  that  ain't  to  your  fancy,  some  of  my 
hands  being  rough,  and  having  old  scores,  on  account  of 
hazing,  then  you  can  stay  here,  you  can.  We  '11  divide  stores 
with  you,  man  for  man ;  and  I  '11  give  my  affy-davy,  as  be- 
fore, to  speak  the  first  ship  I  sight,  and  send  'em  here  to 
pick  you  up.  Now  you  '11  own  that 's  talking.  Handsomer 
you  couldn't  look  to  get,  not  you.  And  I  hope  " — raising 
his  voice  —  "that  all  hands  in  this  here  block-house  will 
overhaul  my  wrords,  for  what  is  spoke  to  one  is  spoke  to  all." 

Captain  Smollett  rose  from  his  seat,  and  knocked  out  the 
ashes  of  his  pipe  in  the  palm  of  his  left  hand. 

"Is  that  all?"   he  asked. 

"Every  last  word,  by  thunder!"  answered  John.  "Re- 
fuse that,  and  you  've  seen  the  last  of  me  but  musket-balls." 

"Very  good,"  said  the  captain.  "Now  you  '11  hear  me. 
If  you  '11  come  up  one  by  one,  unarmed,  I  '11  engage  to  clap 
you  all  in  irons,  and  take  you  home  to  a  fair  trial  in  England. 
If  you  won't,  my  name  is  Alexander  Smollett,  I  've  flown  my 
sovereign's  colours,  and  I  '11  see  you  all  to  Davy  Jones.  You 

[155] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

can't  find  the  treasure.  You  can't  sail  the  ship  —  there  's  not 
a  man  among  you  fit  to  sail  the  ship.  You  can't  fight  us  — 
Gray,  there,  got  away  from  five  of  you.  Your  ship  's  in  irons, 
Master  Silver;  you  're  on  a  lee  shore,  and  so  you  '11  find.  I 
stand  here  and  tell  you  so ;  and  they  're  the  last  good  words 
you  '11  get  from  me;  for,  in  the  name  of  heaven,  I  '11  put  a 
bullet  in  your  back  when  next  I  meet  you.  Tramp,  my  lad. 
Bundle  out  of  this,  please,  hand  over  hand,  and  double  quick." 

Silver's  face  was  a  picture;  his  eyes  started  in  his  head 
with  wrath.  He  shook  the  fire  out  of  his  pipe. 

"Give  me  a  hand  up!"  he  cried. 

"Not  I,"  returned  the  captain. 

"Who  '11  give  me  a  hand  up?"   he  roared. 

Not  a  man  among  us  moved.  Growling  the  foulest 
imprecations,  he  crawled  along  the  sand  till  he  got  hold  of 
the  porch  and  could  hoist  himself  again  upon  his  crutch. 
Then  he  spat  into  the  spring. 

There!"  he  cried,  "that's  what  I  think  of  ye.  Before 
an  hour  's  out,  I  '11  stove  in  your  old  block-house  like  a  rum 
puncheon.  Laugh,  by  thunder,  laugh !  Before  an  hour 's 
out,  ye  '11  laugh  upon  the  other  side.  Them  that  die  '11  be 
the  lucky  ones." 

And  with  a  dreadful  oath  he  stumbled  off,  ploughed  down 
the  sand,  was  helped  across  the  stockade,  after  four  or  five 
failures,  by  the  man  with  the  flag  of  truce,  and  disappeared 
in  an  instant  afterwards  among  the  trees. 


[156] 


CHAPTER  XXI 
THE  ATTACK 

A  soon  as  Silver  disappeared,  the  captain,  who  had  been 
closely  watching  him,  turned  towards  the  interior  of 
the  house,  and  found  not  a  man  of  us  at  his  post 
but  Gray.    It  was  the  first  time  we  had  ever  seen  him  angry. 

"Quarters!"  he  roared.  And  then,  as  we  all  slunk  back 
to  our  places,  "Gray,"  he  said,  "I  '11  put  your  name  in  the 
log;  you  've  stood  by  your  duty  like  a  seaman.  Mr.  Tre- 
lawney,  I  'm  surprised  at  you,  sir.  Doctor,  I  thought  you 
had  worn  the  king's  coat!  If  that  was  how  you  served  at 
Fontenoy,  sir,  you  'd  have  been  better  in  your  berth." 

The  doctor's  watch  were  all  back  at  their  loopholes,  the 
rest  were  busy  loading  the  spare  muskets,  and  every  one  with 
a  red  face,  you  may  be  certain,  and  a  flea  in  his  ear,  as  the 
saying  is. 

The  captain  looked  on  for  awhile  in  silence.  Then  he 
spoke. 

"My  lads,"  said  he,  "I've  given  Silver  a  broadside.  I 
pitched  it  in  red-hot  on  purpose;  and  before  the  hour  's  out, 
as  he  said,  we  shall  be  boarded.  We  're  outnumbered,  I 
needn't  tell  you  that,  but  we  fight  in  shelter;  and,  a  minute 
ago,  I  should  have  said  we  fought  with  discipline.  I  've  no 
manner  of  doubt  that  we  can  drub  them,  if  you  choose." 

[157] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

Then  he  went  the  rounds,  and  saw,  as  he  said,  that  all 
was  clear. 

On  the  two  short  sides  of  the  house,  east  and  west,  there 
were  only  two  loopholes;  on  the  south  side  where  the  porch 
was,  two  again;  and  on  the  north  side,  five.  There  was  a 
round  score  of  muskets  for  the  seven  of  us;  the  firewood  had 
been  built  into  four  piles  —  tables,  you  might  say  —  one 
about  the  middle  of  each  side,  and  on  each  of  these  tables 
some  ammunition  and  four  loaded  muskets  were  laid  ready 
to  the  hand  of  the  defenders.  In  the  middle,  the  cutlasses 
lay  ranged. 

"Toss  out  the  fire,"  said  the  captain;  "the  chill  is  past, 
and  we  mustn't  have  smoke  in  our  eyes." 

The  iron  fire  basket  was  carried  bodily  out  by  Mr.  Tre- 
lawney,  and  the  embers  smothered  among  sand. 

"Hawkins  hasn't  had  his  breakfast.  Hawkins,  help 
yourself,  and  back  to  your  post  to  eat  it,"  continued  Captain 
Smollett.  "Lively,  now,  my  lads;  you  '11  want  it  before 
you  've  done.  Hunter,  serve  out  a  round  of  brandy  to  all 
hands." 

And  while  this  was  going  on,  the  captain  completed,  in 
his  own  mind,  the  plan  of  the  defence. 

"Doctor,  you  will  take  the  door,"  he  resumed.  "See,  and 
don't  expose  yourself;  keep  within,  and  fire  through  the 
porch.  Hunter,  take  the  east  side,  there.  Joyce,  you  stand 
by  the  west,  my  man.  Mr.  Trelawney,  you  are  the  best  shot — 
you  and  Gray  will  take  this  long  north  side,  with  the  five 
loopholes ;  it 's  there  the  danger  is.  If  they  can  get  up  to 
it,  and  fire  in  upon  us  through  our  own  ports,  things  would 

[158] 


THE   ATTACK 

begin  to  look  dirty.  Hawkins,  neither  you  nor  I  are  much 
account  at  the  shooting;  we  '11  stand  by  to  load  and  bear  a 
hand." 

As  the  captain  had  said,  the  chill  was  past.  As  soon  as 
the  sun  had  climbed  above  our  girdle  of  trees,  it  fell  with  all 
its  force  upon  the  clearing,  and  drank  up  the  vapours  at  a 
draught.  Soon  the  sand  was  baking,  and  the  resin  melting 
in  the  logs  of  the  block-house.  Jackets  and  coats  were  flung 
aside;  shirts  thrown  open  at  the  neck,  and  rolled  up  to  the 
shoulders;  and  we  stood  there,  each  at  his  post,  hi  a  fever 
of  heat  and  anxiety. 

An  hour  passed  away. 

"Hang  them!"  said  the  captain.  "This  is  as  dull  as 
the  doldrums.  Gray,  whistle  for  a  wind." 

And  just  at  that  moment  came  the  first  news  of  the  attack. 

"If  you  please,  sir,"  said  Joyce,  "if  I  see  any  one  am  I 
to  fire?" 

"I  told  you  so!"   cried  the  captain. 

"Thank  you,  sir,"  returned  Joyce,  with  the  same  quiet 
civility. 

Nothing  followed  for  a  time;  but  the  remark  had  set  us 
all  on  the  alert,  straining  ears  and  eyes  —  the  musketeers  with 
their  pieces  balanced  hi  their  hands,  the  captain  out  in  the 
middle  of  the  block-house,  with  his  mouth  very  tight  and  a 
frown  on  his  face. 

So  some  seconds  passed,  till  suddenly  Joyce  whipped  up 
his  musket  and  fired.  The  report  had  scarcely  died  away  ere 
it  was  repeated  and  repeated  from  without  in  a  scattering 
volley,  shot  behind  shot,  like  a  string  of  geese,  from  every 

[159] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

side  of  the  enclosure.  Several  bullets  struck  the  log-house, 
but  not  one  entered;  and,  as  the  smoke  cleared  away  and 
vanished,  the  stockade  and  the  woods  around  it  looked  as 
quiet  and  empty  as  before.  Not  a  bough  waved,  not  the 
gleam  of  a  musket-barrel  betrayed  the  presence  of  our  foes. 

"Did  you  hit  your  man  ?"  asked  the  captain. 

"No,  sir,"  replied  Joyce.     "I  believe  not,  sir." 

"Next  best  thing  to  tell  the  truth,"  muttered  Captain 
Smollett.  "Load  his  gun,  Hawkins.  How  many  should  you 
say  there  were  on  your  side,  doctor?" 

"I  know  precisely,"  said  Dr.  Livesey.  "Three  shots  were 
fired  on  this  side.  I  saw  the  three  flashes  —  two  close  to- 
gether —  one  farther  to  the  west." 

"Three!"  repeated  the  captain.  "And  how  many  on 
yours,  Mr.  Trelawney?" 

But  this  was  not  so  easily  answered.  There  had  come 
many  from  the  north  —  seven,  by  the  squire's  computation ; 
eight  or  nine,  according  to  Gray.  From  the  east  and  west 
only  a  single  shot  had  been  fired.  It  was  plain,  therefore, 
that  the  attack  would  be  developed  from  the  north,  and  that 
on  the  other  three  sides  we  were  only  to  be  annoyed  by  a  show 
of  hostilities.  But  Captain  Smollett  made  no  change  in  his 
arrangements.  If  the  mutineers  succeeded  in  crossing  the 
stockade,  he  argued,  they  would  take  possession  of  any  un- 
protected loophole,  and  shoot  us  down  like  rats  in  our  own 
stronghold. 

Nor  had  we  much  time  left  to  us  for  thought.  Suddenly, 
with  a  loud  huzza,  a  little  cloud  of  pirates  leaped  from  the 
woods  on  the  north  side,  and  ran  straight  on  the  stockade. 

[160] 


THE  ATTACK 

At  the  same  moment,  the  fire  was  once  more  opened  from  the 
woods,  and  a  rifle  ball  sang  through  the  doorway,  and  knocked 
the  doctor's  musket  into  bits. 

The  boarders  swarmed  over  the  fence  like  monkeys. 
Squire  and  Gray  fired  again  and  yet  again;  three  men  fell, 
one  forwards  into  the  enclosure,  two  back  on  the  outside. 
But  of  these,  one  was  evidently  more  frightened  than  hurt, 
for  he  was  on  his  feet  again  in  a  crack,  and  instantly  disap- 
peared among  the  trees. 

Two  had  bit  the  dust,  one  had  fled,  four  had  made  good 
their  footing  inside  our  defences ;  while  from  the  shelter  of  the 
woods  seven  or  eight  men,  each  evidently  supplied  with  several 
muskets,  kept  up  a  hot  though  useless  fire  on  the  log-house. 

The  four  who  had  boarded  made  straight  before  them 
for  the  building,  shouting  as  they  ran,  and  the  men  among 
the  trees  shouted  back  to  encourage  them.  Several  shots 
were  fired;  but,  such  was  the  hurry  of  the  marksmen,  not 
one  appears  to  have  taken  effect.  In  a  moment,  the  four 
pirates  had  swarmed  up  the  mound  and  were  upon  us. 

The  head  of  Job  Anderson,  the  boatswain,  appeared  at 
the  middle  loophole. 

"At  'em,  all  hands  —  all  hands!"  he  roared,  in  a  voice 
of  thunder. 

At  the  same  moment,  another  pirate  grasped  Hunter's 
musket  by  the  muzzle,  wrenched  it  from  his  hands,  plucked 
it  through  the  loophole,  and  with  one  stunning  blow,  laid 
the  poor  fellow  senseless  on  the  floor.  Meanwhile  a  third, 
running  unharmed  all  round  the  house,  appeared  suddenly 
in  the  doorway,  and  fell  with  his  cutlass  on  the  doctor. 

ri6i  i 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

Our  position  was  utterly  reversed.  A  moment  since  we 
were  firing,  under  cover,  at  an  exposed  enemy;  now  it  was 
we  who  lay  uncovered,  and  could  not  return  a  blow. 

The  log-house  was  full  of  smoke,  to  which  we  owed  our 
comparative  safety.  Cries  and  confusion,  the  flashes  and  re- 
ports of  pistol  shots,  and  one  loud  groan,  rang  in  my  ears. 

"Out,  lads,  out,  and  fight  'em  in  the  open!  Cutlasses!" 
cried  the  captain. 

I  snatched  a  cutlass  from  the  pile,  and  some  one,  at 
the  same  time  snatching  another,  gave  me  a  cut  across  the 
knuckles  which  I  hardly  felt.  I  dashed  out  of  the  door  into 
the  clear  sunlight.  Some  one  was  close  behind,  I  knew  not 
whom.  Right  in  front,  the  doctor  was  pursuing  his  assailant 
down  the  hill,  and,  just  as  my  eyes  fell  upon  him,  beat  down 
his  guard,  and  sent  him  sprawling  on  his  back,  with  a  great 
slash  across  the  face. 

"Round  the  house,  lads!  round  the  house!"  cried  the 
captain;  and  even  in  the  hurly-burly  I  perceived  a  change  in 
his  voice. 

Mechanically,  I  obeyed,  turned  eastwards,  and  with  my 
cutlass  raised,  ran  round  the  corner  of  the  house.  Next 
moment  I  was  face  to  face  with  Anderson.  He  roared  aloud, 
and  his  hanger  went  up  above  his  head,  flashing  in  the  sun- 
light. I  had  not  time  to  be  afraid,  but,  as  the  blow  still 
hung  impending,  leaped  in  a  trice  upon  one  side,  and  missing 
my  foot  in  the  soft  sand,  rolled  headlong  down  the  slope. 

When  I  had  first  sallied  from  the  door,  the  other  muti- 
neers, had  been  already  swarming  up  the  palisade  to  make  an 
end  of  us.  One  man,  in  a  red  night-cap,  with  his  cutlass  in 

[162] 


>D 

•merit  since  we 

;    now  it 
a  blow. 

ke,  hich  we  owed  our 

flashes  and  re- 
rang  in  my  ears. 
•pen!    Cutlas 


one,  at 
cross  the 
floor  into 

The  boarders  swarmed  over  the  fence  like  monkeys 

assailant 
a,  beat  ti 
-.  back,  with  a  great 

cried  the 

'  change  in 

and  with  my 
the  house. 
He  roared  aloud, 

anger  wer«;  :d,  flashing  in  th 

j»t  time  .  but,  as  the  blcr 

ending,  leaped  upon  one  side,  and  missing 

i  the  s<  tdlong  down  the  slope. 

the  door,  the  other  muti- 
ide  to  make  an 


THE  ATTACK 

his  mouth,  had  even  got  upon  the  top  and  thrown  a  leg  across. 
Well,  so  short  had  been  the  interval,  that  when  I  found  my 
feet  again  all  was  in  the  same  posture,  the  fellow  with  the 
red  night-cap  still  half-way  over,  another  still  just  showing 
his  head  above  the  top  of  the  stockade.  And  yet,  in  this 
breath  of  time,  the  fight  was  over,  and  the  victory  was  ours. 

Gray,  following  close  behind  me,  had  cut  down  the  big 
boatswain  ere  he  had  time  to  recover  from  his  last  blow. 
Another  had  been  shot  at  a  loophole  in  the  very  act  of  firing 
into  the  house,  and  now  lay  in  agony,  the  pistol  still  smoking 
in  his  hand.  A  third,  as  I  had  seen,  the  doctor  had  disposed 
of  at  a  blow.  Of  the  four  who  had  scaled  the  palisade,  one 
only  remained  unaccounted  for,  and  he,  having  left  his  cut- 
lass on  the  field,  was  now  clambering  out  again  with  the  fear 
of  death  upon  him. 

"Fire  —  fire  from  the  house!"  cried  the  doctor.  "And 
you,  lads,  back  into  cover." 

But  his  words  were  unheeded,  no  shot  was  fired,  and  the 
last  boarder  made  good  his  escape,  and  disappeared  with  the 
rest  into  the  wood.  In  three  seconds  nothing  remained  of  the 
attacking  party  but  the  five  who  had  fallen,  four  on  the  inside, 
and  one  on  the  outside,  of  the  palisade. 

The  doctor  and  Gray  and  I  ran  full  speed  for  shelter. 
The  survivors  would  soon  be  back  where  they  had  left  their 
muskets,  and  at  any  moment  the  fire  might  recommence. 

The  house  was  by  this  time  somewhat  cleared  of  smoke, 
and  we  saw  at  a  glance  the  price  we  had  paid  for  victory. 
Hunter  lay  beside  his  loop-hole,  stunned;  Joyce  by  his,  shot 
through  the  head,  never  to  move  again;  while  right  in  the 

[163] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

centre,  the  squire  was  supporting  the  captain,  one  as  pale 
as  the  other. 

"The  captain  's  wounded,"  said  Mr.  Trelawney. 

"Have  they  run?"  asked  Mr.  Smollett. 

"All  that  could,  you  may  be  bound,"  returned  the  doctor; 
"but  there  's  five  of  them  will  never  run  again." 

"Five!"  cried  the  captain.  "Come,  that's  better.  Five 
against  three  leaves  us  four  to  nine.  That 's  better  odds  than 
we  had  at  starting.  We  were  seven  to  nineteen  then,  or 
thought  we  were,  and  that 's  as  bad  to  bear."  * 

1  The  mutineers  were  soon  only  eight  in  number,  for  the  man  shot  by  Mr. 
Trelawney  on  board  the  schooner  died  that  same  evening  of  his  wound.  But  this 
was,  of  course,  not  known  till  after  by  the  faithful  party. 


[164] 


PART  V 
MY  SEA  ADVENTURE 


CHAPTER  XXII 
HOW  MY  SEA  ADVENTURE  BEGAN 

THERE  was  no  return  of  the  mutineers  —  not  so  much 
as  another  shot  out  of  the  woods.  They  had  "got 
their  rations  for  that  day"  as  the  captain  put  it,  and 
we  had  the  place  to  ourselves  and  a  quiet  time  to  overhaul 
the  wounded  and  get  dinner.  Squire  and  I  cooked  outside 
in  spite  of  the  danger,  and  even  outside  we  could  hardly  tell 
what  we  were  at,  for  horror  of  the  loud  groans  that  reached 
us  from  the  doctor's  patients. 

Out  of  the  eight  men  who  had  fallen  in  the  action,  only 
three  still  breathed  —  that  one  of  the  pirates  who  had  been 
shot  at  the  loophole,  Hunter,  and  Captain  Smollett;  and  of 
these  the  first  two  were  as  good  as  dead;  the  mutineer,  in- 
deed, died  under  the  doctor's  knife,  and  Hunter,  do  what  we 
could,  never  recovered  consciousness  in  this  world.  He  lin- 
gered all  day,  breathing  loudly  like  the  old  buccaneer  at  home 
in  his  apoplectic  fit;  but  the  bones  of  his  chest  had  been 
crushed  by  the  blow  and  his  skull  fractured  in  falling,  and 
some  time  in  the  following  night,  without  sign  or  sound,  he 
went  to  his  Maker. 

As  for  the  captain,  his  wounds  were  grievous  indeed,  but 
not  dangerous.  No  organ  was  fatally  injured.  Anderson's 
ball  —  for  it  was  Job  that  shot  him  first  —  had  broken  his 

[167] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

shoulder-blade  and  touched  the  lung,  not  badly;  the  second 
had  only  torn  and  displaced  some  muscles  in  the  calf.  He 
was  sure  to  recover,  the  doctor  said,  but,  in  the  meantime 
and  for  weeks  to  come,  he  must  not  walk  nor  move  his  arm, 
nor  so  much  as  speak  when  he  could  help  it. 

My  own  accidental  cut  across  the  knuckles  was  a  flea-bite. 
Dr.  Livesey  patched  it  up  with  plaster,  and  pulled  my  ears 
for  me  into  the  bargain. 

After  dinner  the  squire  and  the  doctor  sat  by  the  captain's 
side  awhile  in  consultation;  and  when  they  had  talked  to 
their  hearts'  content,  it  being  then  a  little  past  noon,  the 
doctor  took  up  his  hat  and  pistols,  girt  on  a  cutlass,  put  the 
chart  in  his  pocket,  and  with  a  musket  over  his  shoulder, 
crossed  the  palisade  on  the  north  side,  and  set  off  briskly 
through  the  trees. 

Gray  and  I  were  sitting  together  at  the  far  end  of  the 
block-house,  to  be  out  of  earshot  of  our  officers  consulting; 
and  Gray  took  his  pipe  out  of  his  mouth  and  fairly  forgot  to 
put  it  back  again,  so  thunderstruck  he  was  at  this  occurrence. 

"Why,  in  the  name  of  Davy  Jones,"  said  he,  "is  Dr. 
Livesey  mad?" 

"Why,  no,"  says  I.  "He's  about  the  last  of  this  crew 
for  that,  I  take  it." 

"Well,  shipmate,"  said  Gray,  "mad  he  may  not  be;  but 
if  he  's  not,  you  mark  my  words,  I  am." 

"I  take  it,"  replied  I,  "the  doctor  has  his  idea;  and  if  I 
am  right,  he  5s  going  now  to  see  Ben  Gunn." 

I  was  right,  as  appeared  later;  but,  in  the  meantime,  the 
house  being  stifling  hot,  and  the  little  patch  of  sand  inside  the 

[168] 


HOW  MY  SEA  ADVENTURE  BEGAN 

palisade  ablaze  with  mid-day  sun,  I  began  to  get  another 
thought  into  my  head,  which  was  not  by  any  means  so  right. 
What  I  began  to  do  was  to  envy  the  doctor,  walking  in  the 
cool  shadow  of  the  woods,  with  the  birds  about  him,  and  the 
pleasant  smell  of  the  pines,  while  I  sat  grilling,  with  my 
clothes  stuck  to  the  hot  resin,  and  so  much  blood  about 
me,  and  so  many  poor  dead  bodies  lying  all  around,  that 
I  took  a  disgust  of  the  place  that  was  almost  as  strong  as 
fear. 

All  the  time  I  was  washing  out  the  block-house,  and  then 
washing  up  the  things  from  dinner,  this  disgust,  and  envy 
kept  growing  stronger  and  stronger,  till  at  last,  being  near 
a  bread-bag,  and  no  one  then  observing  me,  I  took  the  first 
step  towards  my  escapade,  and  filled  both  pockets  of  my 
coat  with  biscuit. 

I  was  a  fool  if  you  like,  and  certainly  I  was  going  to  do  a 
foolish,  over-bold  act;  but  I  was  determined  to  do  it  with 
all  the  precautions  in  my  power.  These  biscuits,  should 
anything  befall  me,  would  keep  me,  at  least,  from  starving 
till  far  on  in  the  next  day. 

The  next  thing  I  laid  hold  of  was  a  brace  of  pistols,  and 
as  I  already  had  a  powder-horn  and  bullets,  I  felt  myself 
well  supplied  with  arms. 

As  for  the  scheme  I  had  in  my  head,  it  was  not  a  bad 
one  in  itself.  I  was  to  go  down  the  sandy  spit  that  divides 
the  anchorage  on  the  east  from  the  open  sea,  find  the  white 
rock  I  had  observed  last  evening,  and  ascertain  whether  it 
was  there  or  not  that  Ben  Gunn  had  hidden  his  boat;  a  thing 
quite  worth  doing,  as  I  still  believe.  But  as  I  was  certain  I 

[169] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

should  not  be  allowed  to  leave  the  enclosure,  my  only  plan 
was  to  take  French  leave,  and  slip  out  when  nobody  was 
watching;  and  that  was  so  bad  a  way  of  doing  it  as  made 
the  thing  itself  wrong.  But  I  was  only  a  boy,  and  I  had 
made  my  mind  up. 

Well,  as  things  at  last  fell  out,  I  found  an  admirable 
opportunity.  The  squire  and  Gray  were  busy  helping  the 
captain  with  his  bandages;  the  coast  was  clear;  I  made  a 
bolt  for  it  over  the  stockade  and  into  the  thickest  of  the  trees, 
and  before  my  absence  was  observed  I  was  out  of  cry  of  my 
companions. 

This  was  my  second  folly,  far  worse  than  the  first,  as  I 
left  but  two  sound  men  to  guard  the  house;  but  like  the 
first,  it  was  a  help  towards  saving  all  of  us. 

I  took  my  way  straight  for  the  east  coast  of  the  island, 
for  I  was  determined  to  go  down  the  sea  side  of  the  spit  to 
avoid  all  chance  of  observation  from  the  anchorage.  It  was 
already  late  in  the  afternoon,  although  still  warm  and  sunny. 
As  I  continued  to  thread  the  tall  woods  I  could  hear  from  far 
before  me  not  only  the  continuous  thunder  of  the  surf,  but  a 
certain  tossing  of  foliage  and  grinding  of  boughs  which  showed 
me  the  sea  breeze  had  set  in  higher  than  usual.  Soon  cool 
draughts  of  air  began  to  reach  me;  and  a  few  steps  farther 
I  came  forth  into  the  open  borders  of  the  grove,  and  saw  the 
sea  lying  blue  and  sunny  to  the  horizon,  and  the  surf  tumbling 
and  tossing  its  foam  along  the  beach. 

I  have  never  seen  the  sea  quiet  round  Treasure  Island. 
The  sun  might  blaze  overhead,  the  air  be  without  a  breath, 
the  surface  smooth  and  blue,  but  still  these  great  rollers  would 

[170] 


HOW  MY  SEA  ADVENTURE  BEGAN 

be  running  along  all  the  external  coast,  thundering  and  thun- 
dering by  day  and  night;  and  I  scarce  believe  there  is  one 
spot  in  the  island  where  a  man  would  be  out  of  earshot  of 
their  noise. 

I  walked  along  beside  the  surf  with  great  enjoyment,  till, 
thinking  I  was  now  got  far  enough  to  the  south,  I  took  the 
cover  of  some  thick  bushes,  and  crept  warily  up  to  the  ridge 
of  the  spit. 

Behind  me  was  the  sea,  in  front  the  anchorage.  The  sea 
breeze,  as  though  it  had  the  sooner  blown  itself  out  by  its 
unusual  violence,  was  already  at  an  end;  it  had  been  suc- 
ceeded by  light,  variable  airs  from  the  south  and  south-east, 
carrying  great  banks  of  fog;  and  the  anchorage,  under  lee  of 
Skeleton  Island,  lay  still  and  leaden  as  when  first  we  entered 
it.  The  Hispaniola,  in  that  unbroken  mirror,  was  exactly 
portrayed  from  the  truck  to  the  water-line,  the  Jolly  Roger 
hanging  from  her  peak. 

Alongside  lay  one  of  the  gigs,  Silver  in  the  stern-sheets  — 
him  I  could  always  recognise  —  while  a  couple  of  men  were 
leaning  over  the  stern  bulwarks,  one  of  them  with  a  red  cap  — 
the  very  rogue  that  I  had  seen  some  hours  before  stride-legs 
upon  the  palisade  Apparently  they  were  talking  and  ln"~k- 
ing,  though  at  tl 
of  course,  hear  n  word  of 

began  the  most  nornu,  um^^^  ^^  Darning,  which  at  first 
startled  me  badly,  though  I  had  soon  remembered  the  voice 
of  Captain  Flint,  and  even  thought  I  could  make  out  the 
bird  by  her  bright  plumage  as  she  sat  perched  upon  her 
master's  wrist. 

[171] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

Soon  after  the  jolly-boat  shoved  off  and  pulled  for  shore, 
and  the  man  with  the  red  cap  and  his  comrade  went  below 
by  the  cabin  companion. 

Just  about  the  same  time  the  sun  had  gone  down  behind 
the  Spy-glass,  and  as  the  fog  was  collecting  rapidly,  it  began 
to  grow  dark  in  earnest.  I  saw  I  must  lose  no  time  if  I  were 
to  find  the  boat  that  evening. 

The  white  rock,  visible  enough  above  the  brush,  was  still 
some  eighth  of  a  mile  further  down  the  spit,  and  it  took  me  a 
goodish  while  to  get  up  with  it,  crawling,  often  on  all-fours, 
among  the  scrub.  Night  had  almost  come  when  I  laid  my 
hand  on  its  rough  sides.  Right  below  it  there  was  an  ex- 
ceedingly small  hollow  of  green  turf,  hidden  by  banks  and  a 
thick  underwood  about  knee-deep,  that  grew  there  very  plen- 
tifully; and  in  the  centre  of  the  dell,  sure  enough,  a  little  tent 
of  goat-skins,  like  what  the  gipsies  carry  about  with  them  in 
England. 

I  dropped  into  the  hollow,  lifted  the  side  of  the  tent,  and 
there  was  Ben  Gunn's  boat  —  home-made  if  ever  anything 
was  home-made:  a  rude,  lop-sided  framework,  of  tough  wood, 
and  stretched  upon  that  a  covering  of  goat-skin,  with  the  hair 
inside.  The  thing  was  extremely  small,  even  for  me,  and  I 
can  hardly  imagine  that  it  could  have  floated  with  a  full-sized 
man.  There  was  one  thwart  set  as  low  as  possible,  a  kind 
of  stretcher  in  the  bows,  and  a  double  paddle  for  propul- 
sion. 

I  had  not  then  seen  a  coracle,  such  as  the  ancient  Britons 
made,  but  I  have  seen  one  since,  and  I  can  give  you  no  fairer 
idea  of  Ben  Gunn's  boat  than  by  saying  it  was  like  the  first 

[172] 


HOW  MY  SEA  ADVENTURE   BEGAN 

and  the  worst  coracle  ever  made  by  man.  But  the  great 
advantage  of  the  coracle  it  certainly  possessed,  for  it  was 
exceedingly  light  and  portable. 

Well,  now  that  I  had  found  the  boat,  you  would  have 
thought  I  had  had  enough  of  truantry  for  once;  but,  in  the 
meantime,  I  had  taken  another  notion,  and  become  so  ob- 
stinately fond  of  it,  that  I  would  have  carried  it  out,  I  believe, 
in  the  teeth  of  Captain  Smollett  himself.  This  was  to  slip 
out  under  cover  of  the  night,  cut  the  Hispaniola  adrift,  and 
let  her  go  ashore  where  she  fancied.  I  had  quite  made  up 
my  mind  that  the  mutineers,  after  their  repulse  of  the  morn- 
ing, had  nothing  nearer  their  hearts  than  to  up  anchor  and 
away  to  sea;  this,  I  thought,  it  would  be  a  fine  thing  to  pre- 
vent, and  now  that  I  had  seen  how  they  left  their  watchmen 
unprovided  with  a  boat,  I  thought  it  might  be  done  with  little 
risk. 

Down  I  sat  to  wait  for  darkness,  and  made  a  hearty  meal 
of  biscuit.  It  was  a  night  out  of  ten  thousand  for  my  pur- 
pose. The  fog  had  now  buried  all  heaven.  As  the  last  rays 
of  daylight  dwindled  and  disappeared,  absolute  blackness  set- 
tled down  on  Treasure  Island.  And  when,  at  last,  I  shoul- 
dered the  coracle,  and  groped  my  way  stumblingly  out  of  the 
hollow  where  I  had  supped,  there  were  but  two  points  visi- 
ble on  the  whole  anchorage. 

One  was  the  great  fire  on  shore,  by  which  the  defeated 
pirates  lay  carousing  in  the  swamp.  The  other,  a  mere  blur 
of  light  upon  the  darkness,  indicated  the  position  of  the 
anchored  ship.  She  had  swung  round  to  the  ebb  —  her  bow 
was  now  towards  me  —  the  only  lights  on  board  were  in  the 

[173] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

cabin;    and  what  I  saw  was  merely  a  reflection  on  the  fog 
of  the  strong  rays  that  flowed  from  the  stern  window. 

The  ebb  had  already  run  some  time,  and  I  had  to  wade 
through  a  long  belt  of  swampy  sand,  where  I  sank  several 
times  above  the  ankle,  before  I  came  to  the  edge  of  the 
retreating  water,  and  wading  a  little  way  in,  with  some 
strength  and  dexterity,  set  my  coracle,  keel  downwards,  on  the 
surface. 


[174] 


CHAPTER  XXIII 
THE  EBB-TIDE  RUNS 

THE  coracle  —  as  I  had  ample  reason  to  know  before  I 
was  done  with  her  —  was  a  very  safe  boat  for  a  per- 
son of  my  height  and  weight,  both  buoyant  and  clever 
in  a  seaway;  but  she  was  the  most  cross-grained  lop-sided 
craft  to  manage.  Do  as  you  pleased,  she  always  made  more 
leeway  than  anything  else,  and  turning  round  and  round  was 
the  manoeuvre  she  was  best  at.  Even  Ben  Gunn  himself  has 
admitted  that  she  was  "queer  to  handle  till  you  knew  her  way." 

Certainly  I  did  not  know  her  way.  She  turned  in  every 
direction  but  the  one  I  was  bound  to  go ;  the  most  part  of  the 
time  we  were  broadside  on,  and  I  am  very  sure  I  never  should 
have  made  the  ship  at  all  but  for  th6  tide.  By  good  fortune, 
paddle  as  I  pleased,  the  tide  was  still  sweeping  me  down; 
and  there  lay  the  Hispaniola  right  in  the  fairway,  hardly  to 
be  missed. 

First  she  loomed  before  me  like  a  blot  of  something  yet 
blacker  than  darkness,  then  her  spars  and  hull  began  to  take 
shape,  and  the  next  moment,  as  it  seemed  (for,  the  further  I 
went,  the  brisker  grew  the  current  of  the  ebb),  I  was  along- 
side of  her  hawser,  and  had  laid  hold. 

The  hawser  was  as  taut  as  a  bowstring,  and  the  current 
so  strong  she  pulled  upon  her  anchor.  All  round  the  hull, 

[175] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

in  the  blackness,  the  rippling  current  bubbled  and  chattered 
like  a  little  mountain  stream.  One  cut  with  my  sea-gully, 
and  the  Hispaniola  would  go  humming  down  the  tide. 

So  far  so  good;  but  it  next  occurred  to  my  recollection 
that  a  taut  hawser,  suddenly  cut,  is  a  thing  as  dangerous  as 
a  kicking  horse.  Ten  to  one,  if  I  were  so  foolhardy  as  to 
cut  the  Hispaniola  from  her  anchor,  I  and  the  coracle  would 
be  knocked  clean  out  of  the  water. 

This  brought  me  to  a  full  stop,  and  if  fortune  had  not 
again  particularly  favoured  me,  I  should  have  had  to  aban- 
don my  design.  But  the  light  airs  which  had  begun  blowing 
from  the  south-east  and  south  had  hauled  round  after  night- 
fall into  the  south-west.  Just  while  I  was  meditating,  a  puff 
came,  caught  the  Hispaniola,  and  forced  her  up  into  the 
current;  and  to  my  great  joy,  I  felt  the  hawser  slacken  in 
my  grasp,  and  the  hand  by  which  I  held  it  dip  for  a  second 
under  water. 

With  that  I  made  my  mind  up,  took  out  my  gully,  opened 
it  with  my  teeth,  and  cut  one  strand  after  another,  till  the 
vessel  swung  only  by  two.  Then  I  lay  quiet,  waiting  to  sever 
these  last  when  the  strain  should  be  once  more  lightened  by  a 
breath  of  wind. 

All  this  time  I  had  heard  the  sound  of  loud  voices  from 
the  cabin;  but,  to  say  truth,  my  mind  had  been  so  entirely 
taken  up  with  other  thoughts  that  I  had  scarcely  given  ear. 
Now,  however,  when  I  had  nothing  else  to  do,  I  began  to 
pay  more  heed. 

One  I  recognised  for  the  coxswain's,  Israel  Hands,  that 
had  been  Flint's  gunner  in  former  days.  The  other  was,  of 

[176] 


THE  EBB-TIDE  RUNS 

course,  my  friend  of  the  red  night-cap.  Both  men  were 
plainly  the  worse  for  drink,  and  they  were  still  drinking;  for, 
even  while  I  was  listening,  one  of  them,  with  a  drunken  cry, 
opened  the  stern  window  and  threw  out  something,  which  I 
divined  to  be  an  empty  bottle.  But  they  were  not  only 
tipsy;  it  was  plain  that  they  were  furiously  angry.  Oaths 
flew  like  hailstones,  and  every  now  and  then  there  came 
forth  such  an  explosion  as  I  thought  was  sure  to  end  in  blows. 
But  each  time  the  quarrel  passed  off,  and  the  voices  grumbled 
lower  for  awhile,  until  the  next  crisis  came,  and,  in  its  turn, 
passed  away  without  result. 

On  shore,  I  could  see  the  glow  of  the  great  camp  fire  burn- 
ing warmly  through  the  shore-side  trees.  Some  one  was  sing- 
ing, a  dull,  old  droning  sailor's  song,  with  a  droop  and  a 
quaver  at  the  end  of  every  verse,  and  seemingly  no  end  to  it  at 
all  but  the  patience  of  the  singer.  I  had  heard  it  on  the 
voyage  more  than  once,  and  remembered  these  words : 

"But  one  man  of  her  crew  alive, 
What  put  to  sea  with  twenty-five." 

And  I  thought  it  was  a  ditty  rather  too  dolefully  appropriate 
for  a  company  that  had  met  such  cruel  losses  in  the  morning. 
But,  indeed,  from  what  I  saw,  all  these  buccaneers  were  as 
callous  as  the  sea  they  sailed  on. 

At  last  the  breeze  came;  the  schooner  sidled  and  drew 
nearer  in  the  dark;  I  felt  the  hawser  slacken  once  more,  and 
with  a  good,  tough  effort,  cut  the  last  fibres  through. 

The  breeze  had  but  little  action  on  the  coracle,  and  I 
was  almost  instantly  swept  against  the  bows  of  the  Hispaniola. 

[177] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

At  the  same  time  the  schooner  began  to  turn  upon  her  heel, 
spinning  slowly,  end  for  end,  across  the  current. 

I  wrought  like  a  fiend,  for  I  expected  every  moment  to  be 
swamped;  and  since  I  found  I  could  not  push  the  coracle 
directly  off,  I  now  shoved  straight  astern.  At  length  I  was 
clear  of  my  dangerous  neighbour;  and  just  as  I  gave  the 
last  impulsion,  my  hands  came  across  a  light  cord  that  was 
trailing  overboard  across  the  stern  bulwarks.  Instantly  I 
grasped  it. 

Why  I  should  have  done  so  I  can  hardly  say.  It  was  at 
first  mere  instinct;  but  once  I  had  it  in  my  hands  and 
found  it  fast,  curiosity  began  to  get  the  upper  hand,  and 
I  determined  I  should  have  one  look  through  the  cabin 
window. 

I  pulled  in  hand  over  hand  on  the  cord,  and,  when  I 
judged  myself  near  enough,  rose  at  infinite  risk  to  about  half 
my  height,  and  thus  commanded  the  roof  and  a  slice  of  the 
interior  of  the  cabin. 

By  this  time  the  schooner  and  her  little  consort  were 
gliding  pretty  swiftly  through  the  water;  indeed,  we  had 
already  fetched  up  level  with  the  camp  fire.  The  ship  was 
talking,  as  sailors  say,  loudly,  treading  the  innumerable 
ripples  with  an  incessant  weltering  splash;  and  until  I  got 
my  eye  above  the  window-sill  I  could  not  comprehend  why 
the  watchmen  had  taken  no  alarm.  One  glance,  however, 
was  sufficient;  and  it  was  only  one  glance  that  I  durst  take 
from  that  unsteady  skiff.  It  showed  me  Hands  and  his 
companion  locked  together  in  deadly  wrestle,  each  with  a 
hand  upon  the  other's  throat. 

[178] 


THE  EBB-TIDE  RUNS 

I  dropped  upon  the  thwart  again,  none  too  soon,  for  I 
was  near  overboard.  I  could  see  nothing  for  the  moment, 
but  these  two  furious,  encrimsoned  faces,  swaying  together 
under  the  smoky  lamp;  and  I  shut  my  eyes  to  let  them  grow 
once  more  familiar  with  the  darkness. 

The  endless  ballad  had  come  to  an  end  at  last,  and 
the  whole  diminished  company  about  the  camp  fire  had 
broken  into  the  chorus  I  had  heard  so  often: 

"  Fifteen  men  on  the  dead  man's  chest  — 

Yo-ho-ho,  and  a  bottle  of  rum ! 
Drink  and  the  devil  had  done  for  the  rest  — 
Yo-ho-ho,  and  a  bottle  of  rum!" 

I  was  just  thinking  how  busy  drink  and  the  devil  were 
at  that  very  moment  in  the  cabin  of  the  Hispaniola,  when  I 
was  surprised  by  a  sudden  lurch  of  the  coracle.  At  the  same 
moment  she  yawed  sharply  and  seemed  to  change  her  course. 
The  speed  in  the  meantime  had  strangely  increased. 

I  opened  my  eyes  at  once.  All  round  me  were  little  rip- 
ples, combing  over  with  a  sharp,  bristling  sound  and  slightly 
phosphorescent.  The  Hispaniola  herself,  a  few  yards  in 
whose  wake  I  was  still  being  whirled  along,  seemed  to  stagger 
in  her  course,  and  I  saw  her  spars  toss  a  little  against  the 
blackness  of  the  night;  nay,  as  I  looked  longer,  I  made  sure 
she  also  was  wheeling  to  the  southward. 

I  glanced  over  my  shoulder,  and  my  heart  jumped  against 
my  ribs.  There,  right  behind  me,  was  the  glow  of  the  camp 
fire.  The  current  had  turned  at  right  angles,  sweeping  round 
along  with  it  the  tall  schooner  and  the  little  dancing  coracle; 

[179] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

ever  quickening,  ever  bubbling  higher,  ever  muttering  louder, 
it  went  spinning  through  the  narrows  for  the  open  sea. 

Suddenly  the  schooner  in  front  of  me  gave  a  violent  yaw, 
turning,  perhaps,  through  twenty  degrees;  and  almost  at  the 
same  moment  one  shout  followed  another  from  on  board;  I 
could  hear  feet  pounding  on  the  companion  ladder;  and  I 
knew  that  the  two  drunkards  had  at  last  been  interrupted  in 
their  quarrel  and  awakened  to  a  sense  of  their  disaster. 

I  lay  down  flat  in  the  bottom  of  that  wretched  skiff,  and 
devoutly  recommended  my  spirit  to  its  Maker.  At  the  end 
of  the  straits,  I  made  sure  we  must  fall  into  some  bar  of 
raging  breakers,  where  all  my  troubles  would  be  ended 
speedily;  and  though  I  could,  perhaps,  bear  to  die,  I  could 
not  bear  to  look  upon  my  fate  as  it  approached. 

So  I  must  have  lain  for  hours,  continually  beaten  to  and 
fro  upon  the  billows,  now  and  again  wetted  with  flying  sprays, 
and  never  ceasing  to  expect  death  at  the  next  plunge.  Gradu- 
ally weariness  grew  upon  me;  A  numbness,  an  occasional 
stupor,  fell  upon  my  mind  even  in  the  midst  of  my  terrors; 
until  sleep  at  last  supervened,  and  in  my  sea-tossed  coracle  I 
lay  and  dreamed  of  home  and  the  old  "Admiral  Benbow." 


[180] 


CHAPTER 
THE   CRUISE  OF  THE   CORACLE 

IT  was  broad  day  when  I  awoke,  and  found  myself  toss- 
ing at  the  south-west  end  of  Treasure  Island.  The 
sun  was  up,  but  was  still  hid  from  me  behind  the  great 
bulk  of  the  Spy-glass,  which  on  this  side  descended  almost  to 
the  sea  in  formidable  cliffs. 

Haulbowline  Head  and  Mizzen-mast  Hill  were  at  my 
elbow;  the  hill  bare  and  dark,  the  head  bound  with  cliffs 
forty  or  fifty  feet  high,  and  fringed  with  great  masses  of  fallen 
rock.  I  was  scarce  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  seaward,  and  it  was 
my  first  thought  to  paddle  in  and  land. 

That  notion  was  soon  given  over.  Among  the  fallen  rocks 
the  breakers  spouted  and  bellowed;  loud  reverberations, 
heavy  sprays  flying  and  falling,  succeeded  one  another  from 
second  «to  second;  and  I  saw  myself,  if  I  ventured  nearer, 
dashed  to  death  upon  the  rough  shore,  or  spending  my  strength 
in  vain  to  scale  the  beetling  crags. 

Nor  was  that  all;  for  crawling  together  on  flat  tables  of 
rock,  or  letting  themselves  drop  into  the  sea  with  loud  reports, 
I  beheld  huge  slimy  monsters  —  soft  snails,  as  it  were,  of  in- 
credible bigness  —  two  or  three  score  of  them  together,  making 
the  rocks  to  echo  with  their  barkings. 

I  have  understood  since  that  they  were  sea  lions,  and 
entirely  harmless.  But  the  look  of  them,  added  to  the  diffi- 

[181] 


TREASURE   ISLAND 

culty  of  the  shore  and  the  high  running  of  the  surf,  was  more 
than  enough  to  disgust  me  of  that  landing-place.  I  felt  will- 
ing rather  to  starve  at  sea  than  to  confront  such  perils. 

In  the  meantime  I  had  a  better  chance,  as  I  supposed, 
before  me.  North  of  Haulbowline  Head,  the  land  runs  in  a 
long  way,  leaving,  at  low  tide,  a  long  stretch  of  yellow  sand. 
To  the  north  of  that,  again,  there  comes  another  cape  —  Cape 
of  the  Woods,  as  it  was  marked  upon  the  chart  —  buried  in 
tall  green  pines,  which  descended  to  the  margin  of  the  sea. 

I  remembered  what  Silver  had  said  about  the  current 
that  sets  northward  along  the  whole  west  coast  of  Treasure 
Island;  and  seeing  from  my  position  that  I  was  already 
under  its  influence,  I  preferred  to  leave  Haulbowline  Head 
behind  me,  and  reserve  my  strength  for  an  attempt  to  land 
upon  the  kindlier-looking  Cape  of  the  Woods. 

There  was  a  great,  smooth  swell  upon  the  sea.  The 
wind  blowing  steady  and  gentle  from  the  south,  there  was  no 
contrariety  between  that  and  the  current,  and  the  billows  rose 
and  fell  unbroken. 

Had  it  been  otherwise,  I  must  long  ago  have  perished; 
but  as  it  was,  it  is  surprising  how  easily  and  securely  my 
little  and  light  boat  could  ride.  Often,  as  I  still  lay  at  the 
bottom,  and  kept  no  more  than  an  eye  above  the  gunwale, 
I  would  see  a  big  blue  summit  heaving  close  above  me;  yet 
the  coracle  would  but  bounce  a  little,  dance  as  if  on  springs, 
and  subside  on  the  other  side  into  the  trough  as  lightly  as  a 
bird. 

I  began  after  a  little  to  grow  very  bold,  and  sat  up  to  try 
my  skill  at  paddling.  But  even  a  small  change  in  the  dis- 

[182] 


THE  CRUISE  OF  THE  CORACLE 

position  of  the  weight  will  produce  violent  changes  in  the 
behaviour  of  a  coracle.  And  I  had  hardly  moved  before  the 
boat,  giving  up  at  once  her  gentle  dancing  movement,  ran 
straight  down  a  slope  of  water  so  steep  that  it  made  me  giddy, 
and  struck  her  nose,  with  a  spout  of  spray,  deep  into  the 
side  of  the  next  wave. 

I  was  drenched  and  terrified,  and  fell  instantly  back  into 
my  old  position,  whereupon  the  coracle  seemed  to  find  her 
head  again,  and  led  me  as  softly  as  before  among  the  billows. 
It  was  plain  she  was  not  to  be  interfered  with,  and  at  that 
rate,  since  I  could  in  no  way  influence  her  course,  what  hope 
had  I  left  of  reaching  land  ? 

I  began  to  be  horribly  frightened,  but  I  kept  my  head, 
for  all  that.  First,  moving  with  all  care,  I  gradually  baled 
out  the  coracle  with  my  sea-cap;  then  getting  my  eye  once 
more  above  the  gunwale,  I  set  myself  to  study  how  it  was 
she  managed  to  slip  so  quietly  through  the  rollers. 

I  found  each  wave,  instead  of  the  big,  smooth  glossy 
mountain  it  looks  from  shore,  or  from  a  vessel's  deck,  was  for 
all  the  world  like  any  range  of  hills  on  the  dry  land,  full  of 
peaks  and  smooth  places  and  valleys.  The  coracle,  left  to 
herself,  turning  from  side  to  side,  threaded,  so  to  speak, 
her  wray  through  these  lower  parts,  and  avoided  the  steep 
slopes  and  higher,  toppling  summits  of  the  wave. 

"Well,  now,"  thought  I  to  myself,  "it  is  plain  I  must  lie 
where  I  am,  and  not  disturb  the  balance;  but  it  is  plain, 
also,  that  I  can  put  the  paddle  over  the  side,  and  from  time 
to  time,  in  smooth  places,  give  her  a  shove  or  two  towards 
land."  No  sooner  thought  upon  than  done.  There  I  lay 

[183] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

on  my  elbows,  in  the  most  trying  attitude,  and  every  now  and 
again  gave  a  weak  stroke  or  two  to  turn  her  head  to  shore. 

It  was  very  tiring,  and  slow  work,  yet  I  did  visibly  gain 
ground ;  and,  as  we  drew  near  the  Cape  of  the  Woods,  though 
I  saw  I  must  infallibly  miss  that  point,  I  had  still  made  some 
hundred  yards  of  easting.  I  was,  indeed,  close  in.  I  could 
see  the  cool,  green  tree-tops  swaying  together  in  the  breeze, 
and  I  felt  sure  I  should  make  the  next  promontory  without 
fail. 

It  was  high  time,  for  I  now  began  to  be  tortured  with 
thirst.  The  glow  of  the  sun  from  above,  its  thousand-fold 
reflection  from  the  waves,  the  sea-water  that  fell  and  dried 
upon  me,  caking  my  very  lips  with  salt,  combined  to  make 
my  throat  burn  and  my  brain  ache.  The  sight  of  the  trees 
so  near  at  hand  had  almost  made  me  sick  with  longing;  but 
the  current  had  soon  carried  me  past  the  point;  and,  as  the 
next  reach  of  sea  opened  out,  I  beheld  a  sight  that  changed 
the  nature  of  my  thoughts. 

Right  in  front  of  me,  not  half  a  mile  away,  I  beheld  the 
Hispaniola  under  sail.  I  made  sure,  of  course,  that  I  should 
be  taken;  but  I  was  so  distressed  for  want  of  water,  that  I 
scarce  knew  whether  to  be  glad  or  sorry  at  the  thought; 
and,  long  before  I  had  come  to  a  conclusion,  surprise  had 
taken  possession  of  my  mind,  and  I  could  do  nothing  but 
stare  and  wonder. 

The  Hispaniola  was  under  her  main-sail  and  two  jibs, 
and  the  beautiful  white  canvas  shone  in  the  sun  like  snow 
or  silver.  When  I  first  sighted  her,  all  her  sails  were  draw- 
ing; she  was  laying  a  course  about  north-west;  and  I  pre- 

[184] 


THE  CRUISE  OF  THE   CORACLE 

sumed  the  men  on  board  were  going  round  the  island  on  their 
way  back  to  the  anchorage.  Presently  she  began  to  fetch 
more  and  more  to  the  westward,  so  that  I  thought  they  had 
sighted  me  and  were  going  about  in  chase.  At  last,  how- 
ever, she  fell  right  into  the  wind's  eye,  was  taken  dead 
a-back,  and  stood  there  awhile  helpless,  with  her  sails  shiv- 
ering. 

"Clumsy  fellows,"  said  I;  "they  must  still  be  drunk  as 
owls."  And  I  thought  how  Captain  Smollett  would  have  set 
them  skipping. 

Meanwhile,  the  schooner  gradually  fell  off,  and  filled 
again  upon  another  tack,  sailed  swiftly  for  a  minute  or  so, 
and  brought  up  once  more  dead  in  the  wind's  eye.  Again 
and  again  was  this  repeated.  To  and  fro,  up  and  down, 
north,  south,  east,  and  west,  the  Hispaniola  sailed  by  swoops 
and  dashes,  and  at  each  repetition  ended  as  she  had  begun, 
with  idly  flapping  canvas.  It  became  plain  to  me  that 
nobody  was  steering.  And,  if  so,  where  were  the  men  ? 
Either  they  were  dead  drunk,  or  had  deserted  her,  I  thought, 
and  perhaps  if  I  could  get  on  board,  I  might  return  the  vessel 
to  her  captain. 

The  current  was  bearing  coracle  and  schooner  southward 
at  an  equal  rate.  As  for  the  latter's  sailing,  it  was  so  wild 
and  intermittent,  and  she  hung  each  time  so  long  in  irons, 
that  she  certainly  gained  nothing,  if  she  did  not  even  lose.  If 
only  I  dared  to  sit  up  and  paddle,  I  made  sure  that  I  could 
overhaul  her.  The  scheme  had  an  air  of  adventure  that 
inspired  me,  and  the  thought  of  the  water  breaker  beside  the 
fore  companion  doubled  my  growing  courage. 

[185] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

Up  I  got,  was  welcomed  almost  instantly  by  another  cloud 
of  spray,  but  this  time  stuck  to  my  purpose;  and  set  myself, 
with  all  my  strength  and  caution,  to  paddle  after  the  un- 
steered  Hispaniola.  Once  I  shipped  a  sea  so  heavy  that  I 
had  to  stop  and  bail,  with  my  heart  fluttering  like  a  bird; 
but  gradually  I  got  into  the  way  of  the  thing,  and  guided  my 
coracle  among  the  waves,  with  only  now  and  then  a  blow 
upon  her  bows  and  a  dash  of  foam  in  my  face. 

I  was  now  gaining  rapidly  on  the  schooner;  I  could  see 
the  brass  glisten  on  the  tiller  as  it  banged  about;  and  still  no 
soul  appeared  upon  her  decks.  I  could  not  choose  but  sup- 
pose she  was  deserted.  If  not,  the  men  were  lying  drunk 
below,  where  I  might  batten  them  down,  perhaps,  and  do 
what  I  chose  with  the  ship. 

For  some  time  she  had  been  doing  the  worst  thing  pos- 
sible for  me  —  standing  still.  She  headed  nearly  due  south, 
yawing,  of  course,  all  the  time.  Each  time  she  fell  off  her 
sails  partly  filled,  and  these  brought  her,  in  a  moment,  right 
to  the  wind  again.  I  have  said  this  was  the  worst  thing  pos- 
sible for  me;  for  helpless  as  she  looked  in  this  situation,  with 
the  canvas  cracking  like  cannon,  and  the  blocks  trundling 
and  banging  on  the  deck,  she  still  continued  to  run  away  from 
me,  not  only  with  the  speed  of  the  current,  but  by  the  whole 
amount  of  her  leeway,  which  was  naturally  great. 

But  now,  at  last,  I  had  my  chance.  The  breeze  fell,  for 
some  seconds,  very  low,  and  the  current  gradually  turning  her, 
the  Hispaniola  revolved  slowly  round  her  centre,  and  at  last 
presented  me  her  stern,  with  the  cabin  window  still  gaping 
open,  and  the  lamp  over  the  table  still  burning  on  into  the 

[186] 


THE  CRUISE  OF  THE  CORACLE 

day.  The  main-sail  hung  drooped  like  a  banner.  She  was 
stock-still,  but  for  the  current. 

For  the  last  little  while  I  had  even  lost;  but  now,  re- 
doubling my  efforts,  I  began  once  more  to  overhaul  the  chase. 

I  was  not  a  hundred  yards  from  her  when  the  wind  came 
again  in  a  clap;  she  filled  on  the  port  tack,  and  was  off  again, 
stooping  and  skimming  like  a  swallow. 

My  first  impulse  was  one  of  despair,  but  my  second  was 
towards  joy.  Round  she  came,  till  she  was  broad-side  on 
to  me  —  round  still  till  she  had  covered  a  half,  and  then  two- 
thirds,  and  then  three-quarters  of  the  distace  that  separated 
us.  I  could  see  the  waves  boiling  white  under  her  forefoot. 
Immensely  tall  she  looked  to  me  from  my  low  station  in  the 
coracle. 

And  then,  of  a  sudden,  I  began  to  comprehend.  I  had 
scarce  time  to  think  —  scarce  time  to  act  and  save  myself. 
I  was  on  the  summit  of  one  swell  when  the  schooner  came 
stooping  over  the  next.  The  bowsprit  was  over  my  head.  I 
sprang  to  my  feet,  and  leaped,  stamping  the  coracle  under 
water.  With  one  hand  I  caught  the  jib-boom,  while  my  foot 
was  lodged  between  the  stay  and  the  brace;  and  as  I  still 
clung  there  panting,  a  dull  blow  told  me  that  the  schooner 
had  charged  down  upon  and  struck  the  coracle,  and  that  I 
was  left  without  retreat  on  the  Hispaniola. 


187  ] 


CHAPTER  XXY 
I  STRIKE  THE   JOLLY  ROGER 

I    HAD  scarce  gained  a  position  on  the  bowsprit,  when 
the  flying  jib  flapped  and  filled  upon  the  other  tack, 
with   a  report  like  a  gun.     The  schooner  trembled  to 
her  keel  under  the  reverse;  but  next  moment,  the  other  sails 
?still  drawing,  the^jib  flapped  back  again,  and  hung  idle. 

This  had  nearly  tossed  me  off  into  the  sea;  and  now  I 
lost  no  time,  crawled  back  along  the  bowsprit,  and  tumbled 
head-foremost  on  the  deck. 

I  was  on  the  lee  side  of  the  forecastle,  and  the  main-sail, 
which  was  still  drawing,  concealed  from  me  a  certain  portion 
of  the  after-deck.  Not  a  soul  was  to  be  seen.  The  planks, 
which  had  not  been  swabbed  since  the  mutiny,  bore  the  print 
of  many  feet;  and  an  empty  bottle,  broken  by  the  neck, 
tumbled  to  and  fro  like  a  live  thing  in  the  scuppers. 

Suddenly  the  Hispaniola  came  right  into  the  wind.  The 
jibs  behind  me  cracked  aloud;  the  rudder  slammed  to;  the 
whole  ship  gave  a  sickening  heave  and  shudder,  and  at  the 
same  moment  the  main-boom  swung  inboard,  the  sheet  groan- 
ing in  the  blocks,  and  showed  me  the  lee  after-deck. 

There  were  the  two  watchmen,  sure  enough :  red-cap  on  his 
back,  as  stiff  as  a  handspike,  with  his  arms  stretched  out  like 

[188] 


I  STRIKE  THE   JOLLY  ROGER 

those  of  a  crucifix,  and  his  teeth  showing  through  his  open 
lips;  Israel  Hands  propped  against  the  bulwarks,  his  chin  on 
his  chest,  his  hands  lying  open  before  him  on  the  deck,  his 
face  as  white,  under  its  tan,  as  a  tallow  candle. 

For  awhile  the  ship  kept  bucking  and  sidling  like  a  vicious 
horse,  the  sails  filling,  now  on  one  tack,  now  on  another,  and 
the  boom  swinging  to  and  fro  till  the  mast  groaned  aloud 
under  the  strain.  Now  and  again,  too,  there  would  come  a 
cloud  of  light  sprays  over  the  bulwark,  and  a  heavy  blow 
of  the  ship's  bows  against  the  swell:  so  much  heavier 
weather  was  made  of  it  by  this  great  rigged  ship  than  by 
my  home-made,  lop-sided  coracle,  now  gone  to  the  bottom  of 
the  sea. 

At  every  jump  of  the  schooner,  red-cap  slipped  to  and  fro ; 
but  —  what  was  ghastly  to  behold  —  neither  his  attitude  nor  his 
fixed  teeth-disclosing  grin  was  anyway  disturbed  by  this  rough 
usage.  At  every  jump,  too,  Hands  appeared  still  more  to 
sink  into  himself  and  settle  down  upon  the  deck,  his  feet  sli- 
ding ever  the  farther  out,  and  the  whole  body  canting  towards 
the  stern,  so  that  his  face  became,  little  by  little,  hid  from  me; 
and  at  last  I  could  see  nothing  beyond  his  ear  and  the  frayed 
ringlet  of  one  whisker. 

At  the  same  time,  I  observed,  around  both  of  them, 
splashes  of  dark  blood  upon  the  planks,  and  began  to  feel  sure 
that  they  had  killed  each  other  in  their  drunken  wrath. 

While  I  was  thus  looking  and  wondering,  in  a  calm  moment, 
when  the  ship  was  still,  Israel  Hands  turned  partly  round, 
and,  with  a  low  moan,  writhed  himself  back  to  the  position 
in  which  I  had  seen  him  first.  The  moan,  which  told  of 

[189] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

pain  and  deadly  weakness,  and  the  way  in  which  his  jaw 
hung  open,  went  right  to  my  heart.  But  when  I  remem- 
bered the  talk  I  had  overheard  from  the  apple  barrel,  all  pity 
left  me. 

I  walked  aft  until  I  reached  the  main-mast. 

"Come  aboard,  Mr.  Hands,"  I  said,  ironically. 

He  rolled  his  eyes  round  heavily;  but  he  was  too  far  gone 
to  express  surprise.  All  he  could  do  was  to  utter  one  word, 
"Brandy." 

It  occurred  to  me  there  was  no  time  to  lose;  and,  dodging 
the  boom  as  it  once  more  lurched  across  the  deck,  I  slipped 
aft,  and  down  the  companion  stairs  into  the  cabin. 

It  was  such  a  scene  of  confusion  as  you  can  hardly  fancy. 
All  the  lockfast  places  had  been  broken  open  in  quest  of  the 
chart.  The  floor  was  thick  with  mud,  where  ruffians  had  sat 
down  to  drink  or  consult  after  wading  in  the  marshes  round 
their  camp.  The  bulkheads,  all  painted  in  clear  white,  and 
beaded  round  with  gilt,  bore  a  pattern  of  dirty  hands.  Dozens 
of  empty  bottles  clinked  together  in  corners  to  the  rolling  of 
the  ship.  One  of  the  doctor's  medical  books  lay  open  on 
the  table,  half  of  the  leaves  gutted  out,  I  suppose,  for  pipe- 
lights.  In  the  midst  of  all  this  the  lamp  still  cast  a  smoky 
glow,  obscure  and  brown  as  umber. 

I  went  into  the  cellar;  all  the  barrels  were  gone,  and  of 
the  bottles  a  most  surprising  number  had  been  drunk  out  and 
thrown  away.  Certainly,  since  the  mutiny  began,  not  a  man 
of  them  could  ever  have  been  sober. 

Foraging  about,  I  found  a  bottle  with  some  brandy  left, 
for  Hands;  and  for  myself  I  routed  out  some  biscuit,  some 

[190] 


I  STRIKE  THE   JOLLY  ROGER 

pickled  fruits,  a  great  bunch  of  raisins,  and  a  piece  of  cheese. 
With  these  I  came  on  deck,  put  down  my  own  stock  be- 
hind the  rudder  head,  and  well  out  of  the  coxswain's  reach, 
went  forward  to  the  water-breaker,  and  had  a  good,  deep 
drink  of  water,  and  then,  and  not  till  then,  gave  Hands  the 
brandy. 

He  must  have  drunk  a  gill  before  he  took  the  bottle  from 
his  mouth. 

"Aye,"  said  he,  "by  thunder,  but  I  wanted  some  o'  that!" 

I  had  sat  down  already  in  my  own  corner  and  begun 
to  eat. 

"Much  hurt?"  I  asked  him. 

He  grunted,  or,  rather,  I  might  say,  he  barked. 

"If  that  doctor  was  aboard,"  he  said,  "I  'd  be  right  enough 
in  a  couple  of  turns;  but  I  don't  have  no  manner  of  luck, 
you  see,  and  that 's  what 's  the  matter  with  me.  As  for  that 
swab,  he  's  good  and  dead,  he  is,"  he  added,  indicating  the 
man  with  the  red  cap.  "He  warn't  no  seaman,  anyhow. 
And  where  mought  you  have  come  from?" 

"Well,"  said  I,  "I've  come  aboard  to  take  possession  of 
this  ship,  Mr.  Hands;  and  you  '11  please  regard  me  as  your 
captain  until  further  notice." 

He  looked  at  me  sourly  enough,  but  said  nothing.  Some 
of  the  colour  had  come  back  into  his  cheeks,  though  he  still 
looked  very  sick,  and  still  continued  to  slip  out  and  settle 
down  as  the  ship  banged  about. 

"By-the-by,"  I  continued,  "I  can't  have  these  colours, 
Mr.  Hands;  and,  by  your  leave,  I  '11  strike  'em.  Better  none 
than  these." 

[191] 


! 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

And,  again  dodging  the  boom,  I  ran  to  the  colour  lines, 
handed  down  their  cursed  black  flag,  and  chucked  it  over- 
board. 

"God  save  the  king!"  said  I,  waving  my  cap;  "and 
there  's  an  end  to  Captain  Silver!" 

He  watched  me  keenly  and  slyly,  his  chin  all  the  while 
on  his  breast 

"I  reckon,"  he  said  at  last  —  "I  reckon,  Cap'n  Hawkins, 
you  '11  kind  of  want  to  get  ashore,  now.  S'pose  we  talks." 

"Why,  yes,"  says  I,  "with  all  my  heart,  Mr.  Hands. 
Say  on."  And  I  went  back  to  my  meal  with  a  good  ap- 
petite. 

"This  man,"  he  began,  nodding  feebly  at  the  corpse  — 
"O'Brien  were  his  name  —  a  rank  Irelander  —  this  man  and 
me  got  the  canvas  on  her,  meaning  for  to  sail  her  back.  Well, 
he  's  dead  now,  he  is  —  as  dead  as  bilge;  and  who  's  to  sail 
this  ship,  I  don't  see.  Without  I  gives  you  a  hint,  you  ain't 
that  man,  as  far  's  I  can  tell.  Now,  look  here,  you  gives  me 
food  and  drink,  and  a  old  scarf  or  ankecher  to  tie  my  wound 
up,  you  do;  and  I  '11  tell  you  how  to  sail  her;  and  that 's 
about  square  all  round,  I  take  it." 

"I  '11  tell  you  one  thing,"  says  I:  "I  'm  not  going  back  to 
Captain  Kidd's  anchorage.  I  mean  to  get  into* North  Inlet, 
and  beach  her  quietly  there." 

"To  be  sure  you  did,"  he  cried.  "Why,  I  ain't  sich  an 
infernal  lubber,  after  all.  I  can  see,  can't  I  ?  I  've  tried  my 
fling,  I  have,  and  I  've  lost,  and  it 's  you  has  the  wind  of  me. 
North  Inlet?  Why,  I  haven't  no  ch'ice,  not  I!  I'd  help 
you  sail  her  up  to  Execution  Dock,  by  thunder!  so  I  would." 

[192] 


I   STRIKE  THE   JOLLY  ROGER 

Well,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  there  was  some  sense  in  this. 
We  struck  our  bargain  on  the  spot.  In  three  minutes  I  had 
the  Hispaniola  sailing  easily  before  the  wind  along  the  coast 
of  Treasure  Island,  with  good  hopes  of  turning  the  northern 
point  ere  noon,  and  beating  down  again  as  far  as  North 
Inlet  before  high  water,  when  we  might  beach  her  safely, 
and  wait  till  the  subsiding  tide  permitted  us  to  land. 

Then  I  lashed  the  tiller  and  went  below  to  my  own  chest, 
where  I  got  a  soft  silk  handkerchief  of  my  mother's.  With 
this,  and  with  my  aid,  Hands  bound  up  the  great  bleeding 
stab  he  had  received  in  the  thigh,  and  after  he  had  eaten  a 
little  and  had  a  swallow  or  two  more  of  the  brandy,  he  began 
to  pick  up  visibly,  sat  straighter  up,  spoke  louder  and  clearer, 
and  looked  in  every  way  another  man. 

The  breeze  served  us  admirably.  We  skimmed  before  it 
like  a  bird,  the  coast  of  the  island  flashing  by,  and  the  view 
changing  every  minute.  Soon  we  were  past  the  high  lands 
and  bowling  beside  low,  sandy  country,  sparsely  dotted  with 
dwarf  pines,  and  soon  we  were  beyond  that  again,  and  had 
turned  the  corner  of  the  rocky  hill  that  ends  the  island  on 
the  north. 

'  I  was  greatly  elated  with  my  new  command,  and  pleased 
with  the  bright,  sunshiny  weather  and  these  different  pros- 
pects of  the  coast.  I  had  now  plenty  of  water  and  good 
things  to  eat,  and  my  conscience,  which  had  smitten  me  hard 
for  my  desertion,  was  quieted  by  the  great  conquest  I  had 
made.  I  should,  I  think,  have  had  nothing  left  me  to  desire 
but  for  the  eyes  of  the  coxswain  as  they  followed  me  derisively 
about  the  deck,  and  the  odd  smile  that  appeared  continually 

[193] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

on  his  face.  It  was  a  smile  that  had  in  it  something  both  of 
pain  and  weakness  —  a  haggard,  old  man's  smile;  but  there 
was,  besides  that,  a  grain  of  derision,  a  shadow  of  treachery 
in  his  expression  as  he  craftily  watched,  and  watched,  and 
watched  me  at  my  work. 


[194] 


CHAPTER  XXYI 
ISRAEL  HANDS 

THE  wind,  serving  us  to  a  desire,  now  hauled  into  the 
west.  We  could  run  so  much  the  easier  from  the  north- 
east corner  of  the  island  to  the  mouth  of  the  North 
Inlet.  Only,  as  we  had  no  power  to  anchor,  and  dared  not 
beach  her  till  the  tide  had  flowed  a  good  deal  farther,  time 
hung  on  our  hands.  The  coxswain  told  me  how  to  lay  the 
ship  to;  after  a  good  many  trials  I  succeeded,  and  we  both 
sat  in  silence,  over  another  meal. 

"Cap'n,"  said  he,  at  length,  with  that  same  uncomfort- 
able smile,  "here's  my  old  shipmate,  O'Brien;  s'pose  you 
was  to  heave  him  overboard.  I  ain't  partic'lar  as  a  rule, 
and  I  don't  take  no  blame  for  settling  his  hash;  but  I  don't 
reckon  him  ornamental,  now,  do  you?" 

"I'm  not  strong  enough,  and  I  don't  like  the  job;  and 
there  he  lies  for  me,"  said  I. 

"This  here's  an  unlucky  ship  —  this  Hispaniola,  Jim," 
he  went  on,  blinking.  "There  's  a  power  of  men  been  killed 
in  this  Hispaniola  —  a  sight  o'  poor  seamen  dead  and  gone 
since  you  and  me  took  ship  to  Bristol.  I  never  seen  sich 
dirty  luck,  not  I.  There  was  this  here  O'Brien,  now  —  he  's 
dead,  ain't  he  ?  Well,  now,  I  'm  no  scholar,  and  you  're 
a  lad  as  can  read  and  figure;  and,  to  put  it  straight,  do  you 

[195] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

take  it  as  a  dead  man  is  dead  for  good,  or  do  he  come  alive 
again?" 

"You  can  kill  the  body,  Mr.  Hands,  but  not  the  spirit; 
you  must  know  that  already,"  I  replied.  "O'Brien  there  is 
in  another  world,  and  maybe  watching  us." 

"Ah!"  says  he.  "Well,  that's  unfort'nate  —  appears  as 
if  killing  parties  was  a  waste  of  time.  Howsomever,  sperrits 
don't  reckon  for  much,  by  what  I  've  seen.  I  '11  chance  it 
with  the  sperrits,  Jim.  And  now,  you  've  spoke  up  free, 
and  I  '11  take  it  kind  if  you  'd  step  down  into  that  there  cabin 
and  get  me  a  —  well,  a  —  shiver  my  timbers !  I  can't  hit  the 
name  on  't;  well,  you  get  me  a  bottle  of  wine,  Jim  —  this 
here  brandy  's  too  strong  for  my  head." 

Now,  the  coxswain's  hesitation  seemed  to  be  unnatural; 
and  as  for  the  notion  of  his  preferring  wine  to  brandy,  I 
entirely  disbelieved  it.  The  whole  story  was  a  pretext.  He 
wanted  me  to  leave  the  deck  —  so  much  was  plain ;  but  with 
what  purpose  I  could  in  no  way  imagine.  His  eyes  never 
met  mine;  they  kept  wandering  to  and  fro,  up  and  down, 
now  with  a  look  to  the  sky,  now  with  a  flitting  glance  upon 
the  dead  O'Brien.  All  the  time  he  kept  smiling,  and  putting 
his  tongue  out  in  the  most  guilty,  embarrassed  manner,  so 
that  a  child  could  have  told  that  he  was  bent  on  some  decep- 
tion. I  was  prompt  with  my  answer,  however,  for  I  saw  where 
my  advantage  lay;  and  that  with  a  fellow  so  densely  stupid  I 
could  easily  conceal  my  suspicions  to  the  end. 

"Some  wine?"  said  I.  "Far  better.  Will  you  have 
white  or  red?" 

"  Well,  I  reckon  it 's  about  the  blessed  same  to  me,  ship- 
[196] 


ISRAEL  HANDS 

mate,"  he  replied;    "so  it's  strong,  and  plenty  of  it,  what's 
the  odds?" 

"All  right,"  I  answered.  "I  '11  bring  you  port,  Mr. 
Hands.  But  I  '11  have  to  dig  for  it." 

With  that  I  scuttled  down  the  companion  with  all  the 
noise  I  could,  slipped  off  my  shoes,  ran  quietly  along  the 
sparred  gallery,  mounted  the  forecastle  ladder,  and  popped 
my  head  out  of  the  fore  companion.  I  knew  he  would  not 
expect  to  see  me  there;  yet  I  took  every  precaution  possible; 
and  certainly  the  worst  of  my  suspicions  proved  too  true. 

He  had  risen  from  his  position  to  his  hands  and  knees; 
and,  though  his  leg  obviously  hurt  him  pretty  sharply  when 
he  moved  —  for  I  could  hear  him  stifle  a  groan  —  yet  it  was 
at  a  good,  rattling  rate  that  he  trailed  himself  across  the  deck. 
In  half  a  minute  he  had  reached  the  port  scuppers,  and  picked, 
out  of  a  coil  of  rope,  a  long  knife,  or  rather  a  short  dirk,  dis- 
coloured to  the  hilt  with  blood.  He  looked  upon  it  for  a 
moment,  thrusting  forth  his  under  jaw,  tried  the  point  upon 
his  hand,  and  then,  hastily  concealing  it  in  the  bosom  of  his 
jacket,  trundled  back  again  into  his  old  place  against  the 
bulwark. 

This  was  all  that  I  required  to  know.  Israel  could  move 
about;  he  was  now  armed;  and  if  he  had  been  at  so  much 
trouble  to  get  rid  of  me,  it  was  plain  that  I  was  meant  to  be 
the  victim.  What  he  would  do  afterwards  —  whether  he 
would  try  to  crawl  right  across  the  island  from  North  Inlet 
to  the  camp  among  the  swamps,  or  whether  he  would  fire 
Long  Tom,  trusting  that  his  own  comrades  might  come  first 
to  help  him,  was,  of  course,  more  than  I  could  say. 

[197] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

Yet  I  felt  sure  that  I  could  trust  him  in  one  point,  since 
in  that  our  interests  jumped  together,  and  that  was  in  the 
disposition  of  the  schooner.  We  both  desired  to  have  her 
stranded  safe  enough,  in  a  sheltered  place,  and  so  that,  when 
the  time  came,  she  could  be  got  off  again  with  as  little  labour 
and  danger  as  might  be;  and  until  that  was  done  I  considered 
that  my  life  would  certainly  be  spared. 

While  I  was  thus  turning  the  business  over  in  my  mind, 
I  had  not  been  idle  with  my  body.  I  had  stolen  back  to  the 
cabin,  slipped  once  more  into  my  shoes,  and  laid  my  hand  at 
random  on  a  bottle  of  wine,  and  now,  with  this  for  an  excuse, 
I  made  my  reappearance  on  the  deck. 

Hands  lay  as  I  had  left  him,  all  fallen  together  in  a  bundle, 
and  with  his  eyelids  lowered,  as  though  he  were  too  weak  to 
bear  the  light.  He  looked  up,  however,  at  my  coming, 
knocked  the  neck  off  the  bottle,  like  a  man  who  had  done  the 
same  thing  often,  and  took  a  good  swig,  with  his  favourite 
toast  of  "Here  's  luck!"  Then  he  lay  quiet  for  a  little,  and 
then,  pulling  out  a  stick  of  tobacco,  begged  me  to  cut  him  a 
quid. 

"Cut  me  a  junk  o'  that,"  says  he,  "for  I  haven't  no 
knife,  and  hardly  strength  enough,  so  be  as  I  had.  Ah, 
Jim,  Jim,  I  reckon  I  've  missed  stays!  Cut  me  a  quid, 
as  '11  likely  be  the  last,  lad ;  for  I  'm  for  my  long  home,  and 
no  mistake." 

"Well,"  said  I,  "I  '11  cut  you  some  tobacco;  but  if  I  was 
you  and  thought  myself  so  badly,  I  would  go  to  my  prayers, 
like  a  Christian  man." 

"Why?"   said  he.     "Now,  you  tell  me  why." 
[198] 


ISRAEL  HANDS 

"Why?"  I  cried.  "You  were  asking  me  just  now  about 
the  dead.  You  've  broken  your  trust;  you  've  lived  in  sin 
and  lies  and  blood;  there  's  a  man  you  killed  lying  at  your 
feet  this  moment;  and  you  ask  me  why!  For  God's  mercy, 
Mr.  Hands,  that 's  why." 

I  spoke  with  a  little  heat,  thinking  of  the  bloody  dirk  he 
had  hidden  in  his  pocket,  and  designed,  in  his  ill  thoughts, 
to  end  me  with.  He,  for  his  part,  took  a  great  draught  of 
the  wine,  and  spoke  with  the  most  unusual  solemnity. 

"For  thirty  years,"  he  said,  "I  've  sailed  the  seas,  and 
seen  good  and  bad,  better  and  worse,  fair  weather  and  foul, 
provisions  running  out,  knives  going,  and  what  not.  Well, 
now  I  tell  you,  I  never  seen  good  come  o'  goodness  yet.  Him 
as  strikes  first  is  my  fancy;  dead  men  don't  bite;  them  's  my 
views  —  amen,  so  be  it.  And  now,  you  look  here,"  he  added, 
suddenly  changing  his  tone,  "we  've  had  about  enough  of 
this  foolery.  The  tide  's  made  good  enough  by  now.  You 
just  take  my  orders,  Cap'n  Hawkins,  and  we  '11  sail  slap  in 
and  be  done  with  it." 

All  told,  we  had  scarce  two  miles  to  run;  but  the  navi- 
gation was  delicate,  the  entrance  to  this  northern  anchorage 
was  not  only  narrow  and  shoal,  but  lay  east  and  west,  so  that 
the  schooner  must  be  nicely  handled  to  be  got  in.  I  think  I 
was  a  good,  prompt  subaltern,  and  I  am  very  sure  that  Hands 
was  an  excellent  pilot;  for  we  went  about  and  about,  and 
dodged  in,  shaving  the  banks,  with  a  certainty  and  a  neatness 
that  were  a  pleasure  to  behold. 

Scarcely  had  we  passed  the  heads  before  the  land  closed 
around  us.  The  shores  of  North  Inlet  were  as  thickly  wooded 

[199] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

as  those  of  the  southern  anchorage;  but  the  space  was  longer 
and  narrower,  and  more  like,  what  in  truth  it  was,  the  estuary 
of  a  river.  Right  before  us,  at  the  southern  end,  we  saw 
the  wreck  of  a  ship  in  the  last  stages  of  dilapidation.  It  had 
been  a  great  vessel  of  three  masts,  but  had  lain  so  long  ex- 
posed to  the  injuries  of  the  weather,  that  it  was  hung  about 
with  great  webs  of  dripping  seaweed,  and  on  the  deck  of  it 
shore  bushes  had  taken  root,  and  now  flourished  thick  with 
flowers.  It  was  a  sad  sight,  but  it  showed  us  that  the  anchor- 
age was  calm. 

"Now,"  said  Hands,  "look  there;  there  's  a  pet  bit  for  to 
beach  a  ship  in.  Fine  flat  sand,  never  a  catspaw,  trees  all  around 
of  it,  and  flowers  a-blowing  like  a  garding  on  that  old  ship." 

"And  once  beached,"  I  inquired,  "how  shall  we  get  her 
off  again?" 

"Why,  so,"  he  replied:  "you  take  a  line  ashore  there  on 
the  other  side  at  low  water:  take  a  turn  about  one  o'  them 
big  pines;  bring  it  back,  take  a  turn  round  the  capstan,  and 
lie-to  for  the  tide.  Come  high  water,  all  hands  take  a  pull 
upon  the  line,  and  off  she  comes  as  sweet  as  natur'.  And 
now,  boy,  you  stand  by.  We  're  near  the  bit  now,  and  she  's 
too  much  way  on  her.  Starboard  a  little  —  so  —  steady  — 
starboard — larboard  a  little  —  steady  —  steady!" 

So  he  issued  his  commands,  which  I  breathlessly  obeyed; 
till,  all  of  a  sudden,  he  cried,  "Now,  my  hearty,  luff!"  And 
I  put  the  helm  hard  up,  and  the  Hispaniola  swung  round 
rapidly,  and  ran  stem  on  for  the  low  wooded  shore. 

The  excitement  of  these  last  manoeuvres  had  somewhat 
interfered  with  the  watch  I  had  kept  hitherto,  sharply  enough, 

[  200  ] 


ISRAEL  HANDS 

upon  the  coxswain.  Even  then  I  was  still  so  much  interested, 
waiting  for  the  ship  to  touch,  that  I  had  quite  forgot  the 
peril  that  hung  over  my  head,  and  stood  craning  over  the 
starboard  bulwarks  and  watching  the  ripples  spreading  wide 
before  the  bows.  I  might  have  fallen  without  a  struggle  for 
my  life,  had  not  a  sudden  disquietude  seized  upon  me,  and 
made  me  turn  my  head.  Perhaps  I  had  heard  a  creak,  or 
seen  his  shadow  moving  with  the  tail  of  my  eye;  perhaps  it 
was  an  instinct  like  a  cat's;  but,  sure  enough,  when  I  looked 
round,  there  was  Hands,  already  half-way  towards  me,  with 
the  dirk  in  his  right  hand. 

We  must  both  have  cried  out  aloud  when  our  eyes  met; 
but  while  mine  was  the  shrill  cry  of  terror,  his  was  a  roar 
of  fury  like  a  charging  bull's.  At  the  same  instant  he  threw 
himself  forward,  and  I  leaped  sideways  towards  the  bows. 
As  I  did  so,  I  let  go  of  the  tiller,  which  sprang  sharp  to  lee- 
ward; and  I  think  this  saved  my  life,  for  it  struck  Hands 
across  the  chest,  and  stopped  him,  for  the  moment,  dead. 

Before  he  could  recover,  I  was  safe  out  of  the  corner  where 
he  had  me  trapped,  with  all  the  deck  to  dodge  about.  Just 
forward  of  the  main-mast  I  stopped,  drew  a  pistol  from  my 
pocket,  took  a  cool  aim,  though  he  had  already  turned  and 
was  once  more  coming  directly  after  me,  and  drew  the  trigger. 
The  hammer  fell,  but  there  followed  neither  flash  nor  sound; 
the  priming  was  useless  with  sea-water.  I  cursed  myself  for 
my  neglect.  Why  had  not  I,  long  before,  reprimed  and 
reloaded  my  only  weapons  ?  Then  I  should  not  have  been 
as  now,  a  mere  fleeing  sheep  before  this  butcher. 

Wounded  as  he  was,  it  was  wonderful  how  fast  he  could 
[201] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

move,  his  grizzled  hair  tumbling  over  his  face,  and  his  face 
itself  as  red  as  a  red  ensign  with  his  haste  and  fury.  I  had 
no  time  to  try  my  other  pistol,  nor,  indeed,  much  inclination, 
for  I  was  sure  it  would  be  useless.  One  thing  I  saw  plainly: 
I  must  not  simply  retreat  before  him,  or  he  would  speedily 
hold  me  boxed  into  the  bows,  as  a  moment  since  he  had  so 
nearly  boxed  me  in  the  stern.  Once  so  caught,  and  nine 
or  ten  inches  of  the  blood-stained  dirk  would  be  my  last 
experience  on  this  side  of  eternity.  I  placed  my  palms 
against  the  main-mast,  which  was  of  a  goodish  bigness,  and 
waited,  every  nerve  upon  the  stretch. 

Seeing  that  I  meant  to  dodge,  he  also  paused;  and  a 
moment  or  two  passed  in  feints  on  his  part,  and  corresponding 
movements  upon  mine.  It  was  such  a  game  as  I  had  often 
played  at  home  about  the  rocks  of  Black  Hill  Cove;  but 
never  before,  you  may  be  sure,  with  such  a  wildly  beating 
heart  as  now.  Still,  as  I  say,  it  was  a  boy's  game,  and  I 
thought  I  could  hold  my  own  at  it,  against  an  elderly  seaman 
with  a  wounded  thigh.  Indeed,  my  courage  had  begun  to 
rise  so  high,  that  I  allowed  myself  a  few  darting  thoughts  on 
what  would  be  the  end  of  the  affair;  and  while  I  saw  cer- 
tainly that  I  could  spin  it  out  for  long,  I  saw  no  hope  of  any 
ultimate  escape. 

Well,  while  things  stood  thus,  suddenly  the  Hispaniola 
struck,  staggered,  ground  for  an  instant  in  the  sand,  and  then, 
swift  as  a  blow,  canted  over  to  the  port  side,  till  the  deck 
stood  at  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees,  and  about  a  puncheon 
of  water  splashed  into  the  scupper  holes,  and  lay,  in  a  pool, 
between  the  deck  and  bulwark. 

[202  ] 


ISRAEL  HANDS 

We  were  both  of  us  capsized  in  a  second,  and  both  of  us 
rolled,  almost  together,  into  the  scuppers;  the  dead  red-cap, 
with  his  arms  still  spread  out,  tumbling  stiffly  after  us.  So 
near  were  we,  indeed,  that  my  head  came  against  the  cox- 
swain's foot  with  a  crack  that  made  my  teeth  rattle.  Blow 
and  all,  I  was  the  first  afoot  again;  for  Hands  had  got  in- 
volved with  the  dead  body.  The  sudden  canting  of  the 
ship  had  made  the  deck  no  place  for  running  on;  I  had  to 
find  some  new  way  of  escape,  and  that  upon  the  instant,  for 
my  foe  was  almost  touching  me.  Quick  as  thought,  I  sprang 
into  the  mizzen  shrouds,  rattled  up  hand  over  hand,  and  did 
not  draw  a  breath  till  I  was  seated  on  the  cross-trees. 

I  had  been  saved  by  being  prompt;  the  dirk  had  struck 
not  half  a  foot  below  me,  as  I  pursued  my  upward  flight; 
and  there  stood  Israel  Hands  with  his  mouth  open  and  his 
face  upturned  to  mine,  a  perfect  statue  of  surprise  and 
disappointment. 

Now  that  I  had  a  moment  to  myself,  I  lost  no  time  in  chang- 
ing the  priming  of  my  pistol,  and  then,  having  one  ready  for 
service,  and  to  make  assurance  doubly  sure,  I  proceeded 
to  draw  the  load  of  the  other,  and  recharge  it  afresh  from 
the  beginning. 

My  new  employment  struck  Hands  all  of  a  heap;  he 
began  to  see  the  dice  going  against  him;  and,  after  an  obvious 
hesitation,  he  also  hauled  himself  heavily  into  the  shrouds, 
and,  with  the  dirk  in  his  teeth,  began  slowly  and  painfully 
to  mount.  It  cost  him  no  end  of  time  and  groans  to  haul 
his  wounded  leg  behind  him;  and  I  had  quietly  finished 
my  arrangements  before  he  was  much  more  than  a  third 

[203  ] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

of  the  way  up.  Then,  with  a  pistol  in  either  hand,  I  ad- 
dressed him. 

"One  more  step,  Mr.  Hands,"  said  I,  "and  I'll  blow 
your  brains  out!  Dead  men  don't  bite,  you  know,"  I  added, 
with  a  chuckle. 

He  stopped  instantly.  I  could  see  by  the  working  of  his 
face  that  he  was  trying  to  think,  and  the  process  was  so 
slow  and  laborious  that,  in  my  new-found  security,  I  laughed 
aloud.  At  last,  with  a  swallow  or  two,  he  spoke,  his  face 
still  wearing  the  same  expression  of  extreme  perplexity.  In 
order  to  speak  he  had  to  take  the  dagger  from  his  mouth, 
but,  in  all  else,  he  remained  unmoved. 

"Jim,"  says  he,  "I  reckon  we're  fouled,  you  and  me, 
and  we  '11  have  to  sign  articles.  I  'd  have  had  you  but  for 
that  there  lurch:  but  I  don't  have  no  luck,  not  I;  and  I 
reckon  I  '11  have  to  strike,  which  comes  hard,  you  see,  for  a 
master  mariner  to  a  ship's  younker  like  you,  Jim." 

I  was  drinking  in  his  words  and  smiling  away,  as  con- 
ceited as  a  cock  upon  a  wall,  when,  all  in  a  breath,  back 
went  his  right  hand  over  his  shoulder.  Something  sang  like 
an  arrow  through  the  air;  I  felt  a  blow  and  then  a  sharp 
pang,  and  there  I  was  pinned  by  the  shoulder  to  the  mast. 
In  the  horrid  pain  and  surprise  of  the  moment  —  I  scarce  can 
say  it  was  by  my  own  volition,  and  I  am  sure  it  was  without 
a  conscious  aim  —  both  my  pistols  went  off,  and  both  escaped 
out  of  my  hands.  They  did  not  fall  alone;  with  a  choked 
cry,  the  coxswain  loosed  his  grasp  upon  the  shrouds,  and 
plunged  head  first  into  the  water. 

[204] 


•vsoW  \\'\ 


nd  I'll 

I  added, 

orking  of  his 

i,s  so 

Lulled 

his  face 


One  more  step,  Mr.  Hands,"  said  I,  "and  I'll  blow 
your  brains  out " 


ed. 

led,  you  and 

u  but  for 
k,  not  I;    and  I 


i^  like 

and  then  a 
alder  to 
uoment  —  I  s 
•  }  I  am  sure  it  w;. 
went  off,  and  boi 
They  did  not  fall  alone;    with 
grasp  upon  the  shr 


CHAPTER  XXYII 
"PIECES  OF  EIGHT" 

OWING  to  the  cant  of  the  vessel,  the  masts  hung  far 
out  over  the  water,  and  from  my  perch  on  the  cross- 
trees  I  had  nothing  below  me  but  the  surface  of  the 
bay.  Hands,  who  was  not  so  far  up,  was,  in  consequence, 
nearer  to  the  ship,  and  fell  between  me  and  the  bulwarks.  He 
rose  once  to  the  surface  in  a  lather  of  foam  and  blood,  and  then 
sank  again  for  good.  As  the  water  settled,  I  could  see  him 
lying  huddled  together  on  the  clean,  bright  sand  in  the 
shadow  of  the  vessel's  sides.  A  fish  or  two  whipped  past  his 
body.  Sometimes,  by  the  quivering  of  the  water,  he  appeared 
to  move  a  little,  as  if  he  were  trying  to  rise.  But  he  was  dead 
enough,  for  all  that,  being  both  shot  and  drowned,  and  was 
food  for  fish  in  the  very  place  where  he  had  designed  my 
slaughter. 

I  was  no  sooner  certain  of  this  than  I  began  to  feel  sick, 
faint,  and  terrified.  The  hot  blood  was  running  over  my  back 
and  chest.  The  dirk,  where  it  had  pinned  my  shoulder  to 
the  mast,  seemed  to  burn  like  a  hot  iron;  yet  it  was  not  so 
much  these  real  sufferings  that  distressed  me,  for  these,  it 
seemed  to  me,  I  could  bear  without  a  murmur;  it  was  the 
horror  I  had  upon  my  mind  of  falling  from  the  cross-trees 
into  that  still  green  water  beside  the  body  of  the  coxswain. 

[205] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

I  clung  with  both  hands  till  my  nails  ached,  and  I  shut 
my  eyes  as  if  to  cover  up  the  peril.  Gradually  my  mind  came 
back  again,  my  pulses  quieted  down  to  a  more  natural  time, 
and  I  was  once  more  in  possession  of  myself. 

It  was  my  first  thought  to  pluck  forth  the  dirk;  but  either 
it  stuck  too  hard  or  my  nerve  failed  me;  and  I  desisted  with  a 
violent  shudder.  Oddly  enough,  that  very  shudder  did  the 
business.  The  knife,  in  fact,  had  come  the  nearest  in  the 
world  to  missing  me  altogether;  it  held  me  by  a  mere  pinch 
of  skin,  and  this  the  shudder  tore  away.  The  blood  ran  down 
the  faster,  to  be  sure;  but  I  was  my  own  master  again,  and 
only  tacked  to  the  mast  by  my  coat  and  shirt. 

These  last  I  broke  through  with  a  sudden  jerk,  and  then 
regained  the  deck  by  the  starboard  shrouds.  For  nothing  in 
the  world  would  I  have  again  ventured,  shaken  as  I  was, 
upon  the  overhanging  port  shrouds,  from  which  Israel  had 
so  lately  fallen. 

I  went  below,  and  did  what  I  could  for  my  wound;  it 
pained  me  a  good  deal,  and  still  bled  freely ;  but  it  was  neither 
deep  nor  dangerous,  nor  did  it  greatly  gall  me  when  I  used 
my  arm.  Then  I  looked  around  me,  and  as  the  ship  was 
now,  in  a  sense,  my  own,  I  began  to  think  of  clearing  it  from 
its  last  passenger  —  the  dead  man,  O'Brien. 

He  had  pitched,  as  I  have  said,  against  the  bulwarks, 
where  he  lay  like  some  horrible,  ungainly  sort  of  puppet; 
life-size,  indeed,  but  how  different  from  life's  colour  or  life's 
comeliness!  In  that  position,  I  could  easily  have  my  way 
with  him;  and  as  the  habit  of  tragical  adventures  had  worn 
off  almost  all  my  terror  for  the  dead,  I  took  him  by  the  waist 

[206  ] 


"PIECES  OF  EIGHT" 


as  if  he  had  been  a  sack  of  bran,  and,  with  one  good  heave, 
tumbled  him  overboard.  He  went  in  with  a  sounding  plunge; 
the  red  cap  came  off,  and  remained  floating  on  the  surface; 
and  as  soon  as  the  splash  subsided,  I  could  see  him  and  Israel 
lying  side  by  side,  both  wavering  with  the  tremulous  movement 
of  the  water.  O'Brien,  though  still  quite  a  young  man,  was 
very  bald.  There  he  lay,  with  that  bald  head  across  the 
knees  of  the  man  who  had  killed  him,  and  the  quick  fishes 
steering  to  and  fro  over  both. 

I  was  now  alone  upon  the  ship;  the  tide  had  just  turned. 
The  sun  was  within  so  few  degrees  of  setting  that  already  the 
shadow  of  the  pines  upon  the  western  shore  began  to  reach 
right  across  the  anchorage,  and  fall  in  patterns  on  the  deck. 
The  evening  breeze  had  sprung  up,  and  though  it  was  well 
warded  off  by  the  hill  with  the  two  peaks  upon  the  east,  the 
cordage  had  begun  to  sing  a  little  softly  to  itself  and  the  idle 
sails  to  rattle  to  and  fro. 

I  began  to  see  a  danger  to  the  ship.  The  jibs  I  speedily 
doused  and  brought  tumbling  to  the  deck;  but  the  main-sail 
was  a  harder  matter.  Of  course,  when  the  schooner  canted 
over,  the  boom  had  swung  out-board,  and  the  cap  of  it  and  a 
foot  or  two  of  sail  hung  even  under  water.  I  thought  this 
made  it  still  more  dangerous ;  yet  the  strain  was  so  heavy  that 
I  half  feared  to  meddle.  At  last,  I  got  my  knife  and  cut  the 
halyards.  The  peak  dropped  instantly,  a  great  belly  of  loose 
canvas  floated  broad  upon  the  water;  and  since,  pull  as  I 
liked,  I  could  not  budge  the  downhall,  that  was  the  extent 
of  what  I  could  accomplish.  For  the  rest,  the  Hispaniola 
must  trust  to  luck,  like  myself. 

[  207  ] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

By  this  time  the  whole  anchorage  had  fallen  into  shadow  — 
the  last  rays,  I  remember,  falling  through  a  glade  of  the  wood, 
and  shining,  bright  as  jewels,  on  the  flowery  mantle  of  the 
wreck.  It  began  to  be  chill;  the  tide  was  rapidly  fleeting 
seaward,  the  schooner  settling  more  and  more  on  her  beam- 
ends. 

I  scrambled  forward  and  looked  over.  It  seemed  shallow 
enough,  and  holding  the  cut  hawser  in  both  hands  for  a 
last  security,  I  let  myself  drop  softly  overboard.  The  water 
scarcely  reached  my  waist;  the  sand  was  firm  and  covered 
with  ripple  marks,  and  I  waded  ashore  in  great  spirits,  leaving 
the  Hispaniola  on  her  side,  with  her  main-sail  trailing  wide 
upon  the  surface  of  the  bay.  About  the  same  time  the  sun 
went  fairly  down,  and  the  breeze  whistled  low  in  the  dusk 
among  the  tossing  pines. 

At  least,  and  at  last,  I  was  off  the  sea,  nor  had  I  returned 
thence  empty  handed.  There  lay  the  schooner,  clear  at  last 
from  buccaneers  and  ready  for  our  own  men  to  board  and 
get  to  sea  again.  I  had  nothing  nearer  my  fancy  than  to  get 
home  to  the  stockade  and  boast  of  my  achievements.  Pos- 
sibly I  might  be  blamed  a  bit  for  my  truantry,  but  the  re- 
capture of  the  Hispaniola  was  a  clenching  answer,  and  I 
hoped  that  even  Captain  Smollett  would  confess  I  had  not 
lost  my  time. 

So  thinking,  and  in  famous  spirits,  I  began  to  set  my  face 
homeward  for  the  block-house  and  my  companions.  I  re- 
membered that  the  most  easterly  of  the  rivers  which  drain 
into  Captain  Kidd's  anchorage  ran  from  the  two-peaked  hill 
upon  my  left;  and  I  bent  my  course  in  that  direction  that  I 

[208  ] 


"PIECES  OF  EIGHT" 

might  pass  the  stream  while  it  was  small.  The  wood  was 
pretty  open,  and  keeping  along  the  lower  spurs,  I  had  soon 
turned  the  corner  of  that  hill,  and  not  long  after  waded  to  the 
mid-calf  across  the  water-course. 

This  brought  me  near  to  where  I  had  encountered  Ben 
Gunn,  the  maroon;  and  I  walked  more  circumspectly,  keep- 
ing an  eye  on  every  side.  The  dusk  had  come  nigh  hand  com- 
pletely, and,  as  I  opened  out  the  cleft  between  the  two  peaks, 
I  became  aware  of  a  wavering  glow  against  the  sky,  where, 
as  I  judged,  the  man  of  the  island  was  cooking  his  supper 
before  a  roaring  fire.  And  yet  I  wondered,  in  my  heart,  that 
he  should  show  himself  so  careless.  For  if  I  could  see  this 
radiance*  might  it  not  reach  the  eyes  of  Silver  himself  where 
he  camped  upon  the  shore  among  the  marshes? 

Gradually  the  night  fell  blacker;  it  was  all  I  could  do  to 
guide  myself  even  roughly  towards  my  destination;  the 
double  hill  behind  me  and  the  Spy-glass  on  my  right  hand 
loomed  faint  and  fainter;  the  stars  were  few  and  pale;  and 
in  the  low  ground  where  I  wandered  I  kept  tripping  among 
bushes  and  rolling  into  sandy  pits. 

Suddenly  a  kind  of  brightness  fell  about  me.  I  looked  up ; 
a  pale  glimmer  of  moonbeams  had  alighted  on  the  summit  of 
the  Spy-glass,  and  soon  after  I  saw  something  broad  and 
silvery  moving  low  down  behind  the  trees,  and  knew  the  moon 
had  risen. 

With  this  to  help  me,  I  passed  rapidly  over  what  remained 
to  me  of  my  journey;  and,  sometimes  walking,  sometimes 
running,  impatiently  drew  near  to  the  stockade.  Yet,  as  I 
began  to  thread  the  grove  that  lies  before  it,  I  was  not  so 

[209] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

thoughtless  that  I  slacked  my  pace  and  went  a  trifle  warily. 
It  would  have  been  a  poor  end  of  my  adventures  to  get  shot 
down  by  my  own  party  in  mistake. 

The  moon  was  climbing  higher  and  higher;  its  light  began 
to  fall  here  and  there  in  masses  through  the  more  open  dis- 
tricts of  the  wood ;  and  right  in  front  of  me  a  glow  of  a  different 
colour  appeared  among  the  trees.  It  was  red  and  hot,  and 
now  and  again  it  was  a  little  darkened  —  as  it  were  the  em- 
bers of  a  bonfire  smouldering. 

For  the  life  of  me,  I  could  not  think  what  it  might  be. 

At  last  I  came  right  down  upon  the  borders  of  the  clear- 
ing. The  western  end  was  already  steeped  in  moonshine; 
the  rest,  and  the  block-house  itself,  still  lay  in  a  black  shadow, 
chequered  with  long,  silvery  streaks  of  light.  On  the  other 
side  of  the  house  an  immense  fire  had  burned  itself  into  clear 
embers  and  shed  a  steady,  red  reverberation,  contrasted  strongly 
with  the  mellow  paleness  of  the  moon.  There  was  not  a  soul 
stirring,  nor  a  sound  beside  the  noises  of  the  breeze. 

I  stopped,  with  much  wonder  in  my  heart,  and  perhaps  a 
little  terror  also.  It  had  not  been  our  way  to  build  great 
fires;  we  were,  indeed,  by  the  captain's  orders,  somewhat 
niggardly  of  firewood ;  and  I  began  to  fear  that  something  had 
gone  wrong  while  I  was  absent. 

I  stole  round  by  the  eastern  end,  keeping  close  in  shadow, 
and  at  a  convenient  place,  where  the  darkness  was  thickest, 
crossed  the  palisade. 

To  make  assurance  surer,  I  got  up3n  my  hands  and 
knees,  and  crawled,  without  a  sound,  towards  the  corner  of 
the  house.  As  I  drew  nearer,  my  heart  was  suddenly  and 

[210] 


"PIECES  OF  EIGHT" 

greatly  lightened.  It  is  not  a  pleasant  noise  in  itself,  and  I 
have  often  complained  of  it  at  other  times;  but  just  then  it 
was  like  music  to  hear  my  friends  snoring  together  so  loud 
and  peaceful  in  their  sleep.  The  sea-cry  of  the  watch,  that 
beautiful  "All 's  well,"  never  fell  more  reassuringly  on  my  ear. 

In  the  meantime,  there  was  no  doubt  of  one  thing:  they 
kept  an  infamous  bad  watch.  If  it  had  been  Silver  and  his 
lads  that  were  now  creeping  in  on  them,  not  a  soul  would 
have  seen  daybreak.  That  was  what  it  was,  thought  I,  to 
have  the  captain  wounded;  and  again  I  blamed  myself 
sharply  for  leaving  them  in  that  danger  with  so  few  to  mount 
guard. 

By  this  time  I  had  got  to  the  door  and  stood  up.  All 
was  dark  within,  so  that  I  could  distinguish  nothing  by  the 
eye.  As  for  sounds,  there  was  the  steady  drone  of  the  snorers, 
and  a  small  occasional  noise,  a  flickering  or  pecking  that  I 
could  in  no  way  account  for. 

With  my  arms  before  me  I  walked  steadily  in.  I  should 
lie  down  in  my  own  place  (I  thought,  with  a  silent  chuckle) 
and  enjoy  their  faces  when  they  found  me  in  the  morning. 

My  foot  struck  something  yielding  —  it  was  a  sleeper's 
leg;  and  he  turned  and  groaned,  but  without  awakening. 

And  then,  all  of  a  sudden,  a  shrill  voice  broke  forth  out 
of  the  darkness: 

"Pieces  of  eight!  pieces  of  eight!  pieces  of  eight!  pieces 
of  eight!  pieces  of  eight!"  and  so  forth,  without  pause  or 
change,  like  the  clacking  of  a  tiny  mill. 

Silver's  green  parrot,  Captain  Flint!  It  was  she  whom  I 
had  heard  pecking  at  a  piece  of  bark;  it  was  she,  keeping 

[211] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

better  watch  than  any  human  being,  who  thus  announced 
my  arrival  with  her  wearisome  refrain. 

I  had  no  time  left  me  to  recover.  At  the  sharp,  clipping 
tone  of  the  parrot,  the  sleepers  awoke  and  sprang  up;  and 
with  a  mighty  oath,  the  voice  of  Silver  cried: 

"Who  goes?" 

I  turned  to  run,  struck  violently  against  one  person,  re- 
coiled, and  ran  full  into  the  arms  of  a  second,  who,  for  his 
part,  closed  upon  and  held  me  tight. 

"Bring  a  torch,  Dick,"  said  Silver,  when  my  capture  was 
thus  assured. 

And  one  of  the  men  left  the  log-house,  and  presently 
returned  with  a  lighted  brand. 


[212] 


PART  VI 
CAPTAIN   SILVER 


CHAPTER   XXVIII 
IN  THE  ENEMY'S  CAMP 

THE  red  glare  of  the  torch  lighting  up  the  interior  of  the 
block-house,  showed  me  the  worst  of  my  apprehen- 
sions realised.     The  pirates  were  in  possession  of  the 
house  and  stores:    there  was  the  cask  of  cognac,  there  were 
the  pork  and  bread,  as  before;   and,  what  tenfold  increased 
my  horror,  not  a  sign  of  any  prisoner.     I  could  only  judge  that 
all  had  perished,  and  my  heart  smote  me  sorely  that  I  had  not 
been  there  to  perish  with  them. 

There  were  six  of  the  buccaneers,  all  told;  not  another 
man  was  left  alive.  Five  of  them  were  on  their  feet,  flushed 
and  swollen,  suddenly  called  out  of  the  first  sleep  of  drunken- 
ness. The  sixth  had  only  risen  upon  his  elbow;  he  was 
deadly  pale,  and  the  blood-stained  bandage  round  his  head 
told  that  he  had  recently  been  wounded,  and  still  more  re- 
cently dressed.  I  remembered  the  man  who  had  been  shot 
and  had  run  back  among  the  woods  in  the  great  attack,  and 
doubted  not  that  this  was  he. 

The  parrot  sat,  preening  her  plumage,  on  Long  John's 
shoulder.  He  himself,  I  thought,  looked  somewhat  paler  and 
more  stern  than  I  was  used  to.  He  still  wore  the  fine  broad- 
cloth suit  in  which  he  had  fulfilled  his  mission,  but  it  was 
bitterly  the  worse  for  wear,  daubed  with  clay  and  torn  with 
the  sharp  briers  of  the  wood. 

[215] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

"So,"  said  he,  "here  's  Jim  Hawkins,  shiver  my  timbers! 
dropped  in,  like,  eh  ?  Well,  come,  I  take  that  friendly." 

And  thereupon  he  sat  down  across  the  brandy  cask,  and 
began  to  fill  a  pipe. 

"Give  me  a  loan  of  the  link,  Dick,"  said  he;  and  then, 
when  he  had  a  good  light,  "That'll  do,  lad,"  he  added; 
"stick  the  glim  in  the  wood  heap;  and  you,  gentlemen,  bring 
yourselves  to !  —  you  needn't  stand  up  for  Mr.  Hawkins ; 
he  'II  excuse  you,  you  may  lay  to  that.  And  so,  Jim"  —  stop- 
ping the  tobacco  —  "here  you  were,  and  quite  a  pleasant  sur- 
prise for  poor  old  John.  I  see  you  were  smart  when  first  I  set 
my  eyes  on  you;  but  this  here  gets  away  from  me  clean,  it  do." 

To  all  this,  as  may  be  well  supposed,  I  made  no  answer. 
They  had  set  me  with  my  back  against  the  wall;  and  I  stood 
there,  looking  Silver  in  the  face,  pluckily  enough,  I  hope,  to 
all  outward  appearance,  but  with  black  despair  in  my  heart. 

Silver  took  a  whiff  or  two  of  his  pipe  with  great  composure, 
and  then  ran  on  again. 

"Now,  you  see,  Jim,  so  be  as  you  are  here,"  says  he, 
"I  '11  give  you  a  piece  of  my  mind.  I  've  always  liked  you, 
I  have,  for  a  lad  of  spirit,  and  the  picter  of  my  own  self  when 
I  was  young  and  handsome.  I  always  wanted  you  to  jine 
and  take  your  share,  and  die  a  gentleman,  and  now,  my  cock, 
you  've  got  to.  Cap'n  Smollett 's  a  fine  seaman,  as  I  '11  own 
up  to  any  day,  but  stiff  on  discipline.  'Dooty  is  dooty,'  says 
he,  and  right  he  is.  Just  you  keep  clear  of  the  cap'n.  The 
doctor  himself  is  gone  dead  again  you  —  *  ungrateful  scamp' 
was  what  he  said;  and  the  short  and  the  long  of  the  whole 
story  is  about  here:  you  can't  go  back  to  your  own  lot,  for 

[216] 


IN  THE  ENEMY'S  CAMP 

they  won't  have  you;  and,  without  you  start  a  third  ship's 
company  all  by  yourself,  which  might  be  lonely,  you  '11  have 
to  jine  with  Cap'n  Silver." 

So  far  so  good.  My  friends,  then,  were  still  alive,  and 
though  I  partly  believed  the  truth  of  Silver's  statement,  that 
the  cabin  party  were  incensed  at  me  for  my  desertion,  I  was 
more  relieved  than  distressed  by  what  I  heard. 

"I  don't  say  nothing  as  to  your  being  in  our  hands,"  con- 
tinued Silver,  "though  there  you  are,  and  you  may  lay  to  it. 
I  'm  all  for  argyment;  I  never  seen  good  come  out  o'  threaten- 
ing. If  you  like  the  service,  well,  you  '11  jine;  and  if  you 
don't,  Jim,  why,  you  're  free  to  answer  no  —  free  and  wel- 
come, shipmate;  and  if  fairer  can  be  said  by  mortal  seaman, 
shiver  my  sides!" 

"Am  I  to  answer  then?"  I  asked,  with  a  very  tremulous 
voice.  Through  all  this  sneering  talk,  I  was  made  to  feel 
the  threat  of  death  that  overhung  me,  and  my  cheeks  burned 
and  my  heart  beat  painfully  in  my  breast. 

"Lad,"  said  Silver,"no  one  's  a-pressing  of  you.  Take 
your  bearings.  None  of  us  won't  hurry  you,  mate;  time  goes 
so  pleasant  in  your  company,  you  see." 

"Well,"  says  I,  growing  a  bit  bolder,  "if  I  'm  to  choose,  I 
declare  I  have  a  right  to  know  what 's  what,  and  why  you  're 
here,  and  where  my  friends  are." 

"Wot 's  wot?"  repeated  one  of  the  buccaneers,  in  a  deep 
growl.  "Ah,  he  'd  be  a  lucky  one  as  knowed  that!" 

"You  '11,  perhaps,  batten  down  your  hatches  till  you  're 
spoke  to,  my  friend,"  cried  Silver  truculently  to  this  speaker. 
And  then,  in  his  first  gracious  tones,  he  replied  to  me:  "Yes- 

[217] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

terday  morning,  Mr.  Hawkins,"  said  he,  "in  the  dog-watch, 
down  came  Dr.  Livesey  with  a  flag  of  truce.  Says  he,  *  Cap'n 
Silver,  you  're  sold  out.  Ship  's  gone/  Well,  maybe  we  'd 
been  taking  a  glass,  and  a  song  to  help  it  round.  I  won't 
say  no.  Leastways,  none  of  us  had  looked  out.  We  looked 
out,  and  by  thunder!  the  old  ship  was  gone.  I  never  seen 
a  pack  o'  fools  look  fishier;  and  you  may  lay  to  that,  if  I 
tells  you  that  looked  the  fishiest.  'Well,'  says  the  doctor, 
'let 's  bargain.'  We  bargained,  him  and  I,  and  here  we  are: 
stores,  brandy,  block-house,  the  firewood  you  was  thoughtful 
enough  to  cut,  and,  in  a  manner  of  speaking,  the  whole  blessed 
boat,  from  cross-trees  to  keelson.  As  for  them  they  've 
tramped;  I  don't  know  where  's  they  are." 

He  drew  again  quietly  at  his  pipe. 

"And  lest  you  should  take  it  into  that  head  of  yours,"  he 
went  on,  "that  you  was  included  in  the  treaty,  here  's  the  last 
word  that  was  said:  'How  many  are  you,'  says  I,  'to  leave?' 
'Four,'  says  he  —  'four,  and  one  of  us  wounded.  As  for  that 
boy,  I  don't  know  where  he  is,  confound  him,'  says  he,  'nor 
I  don't  much  care.  We  're  about  sick  of  him.'  These  was 
his  words." 

"Is  that  all?"    I  asked. 

"Well,  it's  all  that  you're  to  hear,  my  son,"  returned 
Silver. 

"And  now  I  am  to  choose  ?" 

"And  now  you  are  to  choose,  and  you  may  lay  to  that," 
said  Silver. 

"Well,"  said  I,  "I  am  not  such  a  fool  but  I  know  pretty 
well  what  I  have  to  look  for.  Let  the  worst  come  to  the 

[218] 


IN  THE  ENEMY'S   CAMP 

worst,  it 's  little  I  care.  I  've  seen  too  many  die  since  I  fell 
in  with  you.  But  there  's  a  thing  or  two  I  have  to  tell  you,"  I 
said,  and  by  this  time  I  was  quite  excited;  "and  the  first  is 
this :  here  you  are,  in  a  bad  way :  ship  lost,  treasure  lost,  men 
lost;  your  whole  business  gone  to  wreck;  and  if  you  want  to 
know  who  did  it  —  it  was  I !  I  was  in  the  apple  barrel  the 
night  we  sighted  land,  and  I  heard  you,  John,  and  you,  Dick 
Johnson,  and  Hands,  who  is  now  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea, 
and  told  every  word  you  said  before  the  hour  was  out.  And 
as  for  the  schooner,  it  was  I  who  cut  her  cable,  and  it  was  I 
that  killed  the  men  you  had  aboard  of  her,  and  it  was  I  who 
brought  her  where  you  '11  never  see  her  more,  not  one  of  you. 
The  laugh  's  on  my  side;  I  've  had  the  top  of  this  business 
from  the  first;  I  no  more  fear  you  than  I  fear  a  fly.  Kill 
me,  if  you  please,  or  spare  me.  But  one  thing  I  '11  say,  and 
no  more;  if  you  spare  me,  by-gones  are  by-gones,  and  when 
you  fellows  are  in  court  for  piracy,  I  '11  save  you  all  I  can. 
It  is  for  you  to  choose.  Kill  another  and  do  yourselves  no 
good,  or  spare  me  and  keep  a  witness  to  save  you  from  the 
gallows." 

I  stopped,  for,  I  tell  you,  I  was  out  of  breath,  and,  to  my 
wonder,  not  a  man  of  them  moved,  but  all  sat  staring  at  me 
like  as  many  sheep.  And  while  they  were  still  staring,  I  broke 
out  again: 

"And  now,  Mr.  Silver,"  I  said,  "I  believe  you  're  the  best 
man  here,  and  if  things  go  to  the  worst,  I  '11  take  it  kind  of 
you  to  let  the  doctor  know  the  way  I  took  it." 

"I  '11  bear  it  in  mind,"  said  Silver,  with  an  accent  so  curi- 
ous that  I  could  not,  for  the  life  of  me,  decide  whether  he 

[219] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

were  laughing  at  my  request,  or  had  been  favourably  affected 
by  my  courage. 

"I  '11  put  one  to  that,"  cried  the  old  mahogany-faced  sea- 
man —  Morgan  by  name  —  whom  I  had  seen  in  Long  John's 
public-house  upon  the  quays  of  Bristol.  "It  was  him  that 
knowed  Black  Dog." 

"Well,  and  see  here,"  added  the  sea-cook.  "I  '11  put  an- 
other again  to  that,  by  thunder!  for  it  was  this  same  boy 
that  faked  the  chart  from  Billy  Bones.  First  and  last,  we  've 
split  upon  Jim  Hawkins!" 

"Then  here  goes!"   said  Morgan,  with  an  oath. 

And  he  sprang  up,  drawing  his  knife  as  if  he  had  been 
twenty. 

"Avast,  there!"  cried  Silver.  "Who  are  you,  Tom  Mor- 
gan ?  Maybe  you  thought  you  was  cap'n  here,  perhaps.  By 
the  powers,  but  I  '11  teach  you  better!  Cross  me,  and  you  '11 
go  where  many  a  good  man  's  gone  before  you,  first  and  last, 
these  thirty  year  back  —  some  to  the  yard-arm,  shiver  my 
timbers!  and  some  by  the  board,  and  all  to  feed  the  fishes. 
There  's  never  a  man  looked  me  between  the  eyes  and  seen 
a  good  day  a'terwards,  Tom  Morgan,  you  may  lay  to  that." 

Morgan  paused;  but  a  hoarse  murmur  rose  from  the 
others. 

"Tom  's  right,"  said  one. 

"I  stood  hazing  long  enough  from  one,"  added  another. 
"I  '11  be  hanged  if  I  '11  be  hazed  by  you,  John  Silver." 

"Did  any  of  you  gentlemen  want  to  have  it  out  with  me?" 
roared  Silver,  bending  far  forward  from  his  position  on  the 
keg,  with  his  pipe  still  glowing  in  his  right  hand.  "Put  a 

[220  ] 


IN  THE  ENEMY'S  CAMP 

name  on  what  you  're  at;  you  ain't  dumb,  I  reckon.  Him 
that  wants  shall  get  it.  Have  I  lived  this  many  years,  and  a 
son  of  a  rum  puncheon  cock  his  hat  athwart  my  hawse  at 
the  latter  end  of  it?  You  know  the  way;  you  're  all  gentle- 
men o'  fortune,  by  your  account.  Well,  I  'm  ready.  Take  a 
cutlass,  him  that  dares,  and  I  '11  see  the  colour  of  his  inside, 
crutch  and  all,  before  that  pipe  's  empty." 

Not  a  man  stirred;    not  a  man  answered. 

"That's  your  sort,  is  it?"  he  added,  returning  his  pipe 
to  his  mouth.  "Well,  you  're  a  gay  lot  to  look  at,  anyway. 
Not  much  worth  to  fight,  you  ain't.  P'r'aps  you  can  under- 
stand King  George's  English.  I  'm  cap'n  here  by  'lection. 
I  'm  cap'n  here  because  I  'm  the  best  man  by  a  long  sea-mile. 
You  won't  fight,  as  gentlemen  o'  fortune  should;  then,  by 
thunder,  you  '11  obey,  and  you  may  lay  to  it!  I  like  that 
boy,  now ;  I  never  seen  a  better  boy  than  that.  He 's  more 
a  man  than  any  pair  of  rats  of  you  in  this  here  house,  and 
what  I  say  is  this :  let  me  see  him  that  '11  lay  a  hand  on 
him  —  that 's  what  I  say,  and  you  may  lay  to  it." 

There  was  a  long  pause  after  this.  I  stood  straight  up 
against  the  wall,  my  heart  still  going  like  a  sledge-hammer, 
but  with  a  ray  of  hope  now  shining  in  my  bosom.  Silver 
leant  back  against  the  wall,  his  arms  crossed,  his  pipe  in 
the  corner  of  his  mouth,  as  calm  as  though  he  had  been  in 
church;  yet  his  eye  kept  wandering  furtively,  and  he  kept  the 
tail  of  it  on  his  unruly  followers.  They,  on  their  part,  drew 
gradually  together  towards  the  far  end  of  the  block-house, 
and  the  low  hiss  of  their  whispering  sounded  in  my  ear  con- 
tinuously, like  a  stream.  One  after  another,  they  would  look 

[221] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

up,  and  the  red  light  of  the  torch  would  fall  for  a  second  on 
their  nervous  faces ;  but  it  was  not  towards  me,  it  was  towards 
Silver  that  they  turned  their  eyes. 

"You  seem  to  have  a  lot  to  say/'  remarked  Silver,  spitting 
far  into  the  air.  "Pipe  up  and  let  me  hear  it,  or  lay  to." 

"Ax  your  pardon,  sir,"  returned  one  of  the  men,  "you  're 
pretty  free  with  some  of  the  rules;  maybe  you  '11  kindly  keep 
an  eye  upon  the  rest.  This  crew  's  dissatisfied;  this  crew  don't 
vally  bullying  a  marlinspike;  this  crew  has  its  rights  like  other 
crews,  I  '11  make  so  free  as  that;  and  by  your  own  rules,  I 
take  it  we  can  talk  together.  I  ax  your  pardon,  sir,  acknowl- 
edging you  for  to  be  cap  ting  at  this  present;  but  I  claim  my 
right,  and  steps  outside  for  a  council." 

And  with  an  elaborate  sea-salute,  this  fellow,  a  long,  ill- 
looking,  yellow-eyed  man  of  five  and  thirty,  stepped  coolly 
towards  the  door  and  disappeared  out  of  the  house.  One 
after  another,  the  rest  followed  his  example;  each  making  a 
salute  as  he  passed;  each  adding  some  apology.  "According 
to  rules,"  said  one.  "Fo'c's'le  council,"  said  Morgan.  And 
so  with  one  remark  or  another,  all  marched  out,  and  left 
Silver  and  me  alone  with  the  torch. 

The  sea-cook  instantly  removed  his  pipe. 

"Now,  look  you  here,  Jim  Hawkins,"  he  said,  in  a  steady 
whisper,  that  was  no  more  than  audible,  "you  're  within  half 
a  plank  of  death,  and,  what 's  a  long  sight  worse,  of  torture. 
They  're  going  to  throw  me  off.  But,  you  mark,  I  stand  by 
you  through  thick  and  thin.  I  didn't  mean  to;  no,  not  till 
you  spoke  up.  I  was  about  desperate  to  lose  that  much  blunt, 
and  be  hanged  into  the  bargain.  But  I  see  you  was  the  right 

[  222  ] 


IN  THE  ENEMY'S  CAMP 

sort.  I  says  to  myself:  You  stand  by  Hawkins,  John,  and 
Hawkins  '11  stand  by  you.  You  're  his  last  card,  and,  by 
the  living  thunder,  John,  he  's  yours !  Back  to  back,  says  I. 
You  save  your  witness,  and  he  '11  save  your  neck!" 

I  began  dimly  to  understand. 

"You  mean  all 's  lost?"   I  asked. 

"Ay,  by  gum,  I  do!"  he  answered.  "Ship  gone,  neck 
gone  —  that 's  the  size  of  it.  Once  I  looked  into  that  bay, 
Jim  Hawkins,  and  seen  no  schooner  —  well,  I  'm  tough,  but 
I  gave  out.  As  for  that  lot  and  their  council,  mark  me, 
they  're  outright  fools  and  cowards.  I  '11  save  your  life  —  if 
so  be  as  I  can  —  from  them.  But,  see  here,  Jim  —  tit  for 
tat  —  you  save  Long  John  from  swinging." 

I  was  bewildered;  it  seemed  a  thing  so  hopeless  he  was 
asking  —  he,  the  old  buccaneer,  the  ring-leader  throughout. 

"What  I  can  do,  that  I  '11  do,"  I  said. 

"It's  a  bargain!"  cried  Long  John.  "You  speak  up 
plucky,  and,  by  thunder!  I  've  a  chance." 

He  hobbled  to  the  torch,  where  it  stood  propped  among 
the  firewood,  and  took  a  fresh  light  to  his  pipe. 

"Understand  me,  Jim,"  he  said,  returning.  "I  've  a  head 
on  my  shoulders,  I  have.  I  'm  on  squire's  side  now.  I  know 
you  've  got  that  ship  safe  somewheres.  How  you  done  it,  I 
don't  know,  but  safe  it  is.  I  guess  Hands  and  O'Brien  turned 
soft.  I  never  much  believed  in  neither  of  them.  Now  you 
mark  me.  I  ask  no  questions,  nor  I  won't  let  others.  I 
know  when  a  game  's  up,  I  do ;  and  I  know  a  lad  that 's 
staunch.  Ah,  you  that 's  young  —  you  and  me  might  have 
done  a  power  of  good  together!" 

[223  ] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

He  drew  some  cognac  from  the  cask  into  a  tin  canikin. 

"Will  you  taste,  messmate?"  he  asked;  and  when  I  had 
refused:  "Well,  I  '11  take  a  drain  myself,  Jim,"  said  he.  "I 
need  a  caulker,  for  there  's  trouble  on  hand.  And,  talking  o* 
trouble,  why  did  that  doctor  give  me  the  chart,  Jim  ?" 

My  face  expressed  a  wonder  so  unaffected  that  he  saw 
the  needlessness  of  further  questions. 

"Ah,  well,  he  did,  though,"  said  he.  "And  there  's  some- 
thing under  that,  no  doubt  —  something,  surely,  under  that, 
Jim  —  bad  or  good." 

And  he  took  another  swallow  of  the  brandy,  shaking  his 
great  fair  head  like  a  man  who  looks  forward  to  the  worst. 


[224  ] 


CHAPTER  XXIX 
THE  BLACK  SPOT  AGAIN 

THE  council  of  the  buccaneers  had  lasted  some  time, 
when  one  of  them  re-entered  the  house,  and  with  a 
repetition  of  the  same  salute,  which  had  in  my  eyes 
an  ironical   air,  begged   for  a  moment's  loan  of  the   torch. 
Silver  briefly  agreed;  and  this  emissary  retired  again,  leaving 
us  together  in  the  dark. 

"There  's  a  breeze  coming,  Jim,"  said  Silver,  who  had,  by 
this  time,  adopted  quite  a  friendly  and  familiar  tone. 

I  turned  to  the  loophole  nearest  me  and  looked  out.  The 
embers  of  the  great  fire  had  so  far  burned  themselves  out, 
and  now  glowed  so  low  and  duskily,  that  I  understood  why 
these  conspirators  desired  a  torch.  About  half-way  down  the 
slope  to  the  stockade,  they  were  collected  in  a  group ;  one  held 
the  light;  another  was  on  his  knees  in  their  midst,  and  I  saw 
the  blade  of  an  open  knife  shine  in  his  hand  with  varying 
colours,  in  the  moon  and  torch  light.  The  rest  were  all  some- 
what stooping,  as  though  watching  the  manoeuvres  of  this 
last.  I  could  just  make  out  that  he  had  a  book  as  well  as  a 
knife  in  his  hand;  and  was  still  wondering  how  anything  so 
incongruous  had  come  in  their  possession,  when  the  kneeling 
figure  rose  once  more  to  his  feet,  and  the  whole  party  began 
to  move  together  towards  the  house. 

[225] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

"Here  they  come,"  said  I;  and  I  returned  to  my  former 
position,  for  it  seemed  beneath  my  dignity  that  they  should 
find  me  watching  them. 

"Well,  let  'em  come,  lad  —  let  'em  come,"  said  Silver, 
cheerily.  "I  've  still  a  shot  in  my  locker." 

The  door  opened,  and  the  five  men,  standing  huddled 
together  just  inside,  pushed  one  of  their  number  forward. 
In  any  other  circumstances  it  would  have  been  comical  to 
see  his  slow  advance,  hesitating  as  he  set  down  each  foot, 
but  holding  his  closed  right  hand  in  front  of  him. 

"  Step  up,  lad,"  cried  Silver.  "I  won't  eat  you.  Hand  it  over, 
lubber.  I  know  the  rules,  I  do;  I  won't  hurt  a  depytation." 

Thus  encouraged,  the  buccaneer  stepped  forth  more 
briskly,  and  having  passed  something  to  Silver,  from  hand  to 
hand,  slipped  yet  more  smartly  back  again  to  his  companions. 

The  sea-cook  looked  at  what  had  been  given  him. 

"The  black  spot!  I  thought  so,"  he  observed.  "Where 
might  you  have  got  the  paper  ?  Why,  hillo !  look  here,  now : 
this  ain't  lucky!  You  've  gone  and  cut  this  out  of  a  Bible. 
What  fool's  cut  a  Bible?" 

"Ah,  there!"  said  Morgan  —  " there !  Wot  did  I  say? 
No  good  '11  come  o'  that,  I  said." 

"Well,  you  've  about  fixed  it  now,  among  you,"  continued 
Silver.  "You  '11  all  swing  now,  I  reckon.  What  soft-headed 
lubber  had  a  Bible?" 

"It  was  Dick,"  said  one. 

"Dick,  was  it?  Then  Dick  can  get  to  prayers,"  said  Sil- 
ver. "He's  seen  his  slice  of  luck,  has  Dick,  and  you  may 
lay  to  that." 

[226] 


TREASURE   ISLAND 

"Here  the  ^  my  f 

position,  that  they 

firid  n  hern. 

,-ine,'*  said  Silver, 

•id  the  five  men,  standing  huddle 
•ie  of  their  number  forward, 
would  have  taen  comics 

him. 

About  half  way  down  the  slope  to  the  stockade,  they  were 

collected  in  a  group  ,   fcQ  ^  compan  j, 

•  "'•  na. 

k  spot!  1.     "Wl 

bere 
it  of  a  1^ 

Wot  did  I   a 

"  You 

• 

as  it?    Then  Dick  cas 


THE   BLACK  SPOT  AGAIN 

But  here  the  long  man  with  the  yellow  eyes  struck  in. 

"Belay  that  talk,  John  Silver,"  he  said.  "This  crew  has 
tipped  you  the  black  spot  in  full  council,  as  in  dooty  bound; 
just  you  turn  it  over,  as  in  dooty  bound,  and  see  what 's 
wrote  there.  Then  you  can  talk." 

"Thanky,  George,"  replied  the  sea-cook.  "You  always 
was  brisk  for  business,  and  has  the  rules  by  heart,  George, 
as  I  'm  pleased  to  see.  Well,  what  is  it,  anyway  ?  Ah ! 
'Deposed'  —  that's  it,  is  it?  Very  pretty  wrote,  to  be  sure; 
like  print,  I  swear.  Your  hand  o'  write,  George  ?  Why,  you 
was  gettin'  quite  a  leadin'  man  in  this  here  crew.  You  '11  be 
cap'n  next,  I  shouldn't  wonder.  Just  oblige  me  with  that 
torch  again,  will  you  ?  this  pipe  don't  draw." 

"Come,  now,"  said  George,  "you  don't  fool  this  crew  no 
more.  You  're  a  funny  man,  by  your  account;  but  you  're 
over  now,  and  you  '11  maybe  step  down  off  that  barrel,  and 
help  vote." 

"I  thought  you  said  you  knowed  the  rules,"  returned  Silver, 
contemptuously.  "Leastways,  if  you  don't,  I  do;  and  I 
wait  here  —  and  I  'm  still  your  cap'n,  mind  —  till  you  outs 
with  your  grievances,  and  I  reply,  in  the  meantime,  your  black 
spot  ain't  worth  a  biscuit.  After  that,  we  '11  see." 

"Oh,"  replied  George,  "you  don't  be  under  no  kind  of 
apprehension ;  we  're  all  square,  we  are.  First,  you  've  made 
a  hash  of  this  cruise  —  you  '11  be  a  bold  man  to  say  no  to  that. 
Second,  you  let  the  enemy  out  o'  this  here  trap  for  nothing. 
Why  did  they  want  out  ?  I  dunno ;  but  it 's  pretty  plain  they 
wanted  it.  Third,  you  wouldn't  let  us  go  at  them  upon  the 
march.  Oh,  we  see  through  you,  John  Silver;  you  want  to 

[227  ] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

play  booty,  that 's  what 's  wrong  with  you.  And  then,  fourth, 
there  's  this  here  boy." 

"Is  that  all?"   asked  Silver,  quietly. 

"Enough,  too,"  retorted  George.  "We'll  all  swing  and 
sun-dry  for  your  bungling." 

"Well,  now,  look  here,  I  '11  answer  these  four  p'ints;  one 
after  another  I  '11  answer  'em.  I  made  a  hash  o'  this  cruise, 
did  I  ?  Well,  now,  you  all  know  what  I  wanted ;  and  you  all 
know,  if  that  had  been  done,  that  we  'd  'a'  been  aboard  the 
Hispaniola  this  night  as  ever  was,  every  man  of  us  alive,  and 
fit,  and  full  of  good  plum-duff,  and  the  treasure  in  the  hold 
of  her,  by  thunder!  Well,  who  crossed  me?  Who  forced 
my  hand,  as  was  the  lawful  cap'n  ?  Who  tipped  me  the  black 
spot  the  day  we  landed,  and  began  this  dance  ?  Ah,  it 's  a 
fine  dance  —  I  'm  with  you  there  —  and  looks  mighty  like  a 
hornpipe  in  a  rope's  end  at  Execution  Dock  by  London  town, 
it  does.  But  who  done  it?  Why,  it  was  Anderson,  and 
Hands,  and  you,  George  Merry !  And  you  're  the  last  above 
board  of  that  same  meddling  crew;  and  you  have  the  Davy 
Jones's  insolence  to  up  and  stand  for  cap'n  over  me  —  you, 
that  sank  the  lot  of  us!  By  the  powers!  but  this  tops  the 
st  yarn  to  nothing." 

Silver  paused,  and  I  could  see  by  the  faces  of  George  and 
tis  late  comrades  that  these  words  had  not  been  said  in  vain. 

"That 's  for  number  one,"  cried  the  accused,  wiping  the 
sweat  from  his  brow,  for  he  had  been  talking  with  a  vehe- 
mence that  shook  the  house.  "Why,  I  give  you  my  word, 
I  'm  sick  to  speak  to  you.  You  've  neither  sense  nor  memory, 
and  I  leave  it  to  fancy  where  your  mothers  was  that  let  you 

[  228  ] 


THE   BLACK  SPOT  AGAIN 

come  to  sea.     Sea!     Gentlemen  o'  fortune!     I  reckon  tailors 
is  your  trade." 

"Go  on,  John,"  said  Morgan.  "Speak  up  to  the  others." 
"Ah,  the  others!"  returned  John.  "They  're  a  nice  lot, 
ain't  they?  You  say  this  cruise  is  bungled.  Ah!  by  gum,  if 
you  could  understand  how  bad  it's  bungled,  you  would  see! 
We  're  that  near  the  gibbet  that  my  neck  's  stiff  with  thinking 
on  it.  You  've  seen  'em,  maybe,  hanged  in  chains,  birds 
about  'em,  seamen  p'inting  'em  out  as  they  go  down  with  the 
tide.  'Who's  that?'  says  one.  'That!  Why,  that 's  John 
Silver.  I  knowed  him  well,'  says  another.  And  you  can  hear 
the  chains  a-jangle  as  you  go  about  and  reach  for  the  other 
buoy.  Now,  that 's  about  where  we  are,  every  mother's  son 
of  us,  thanks  to  him,  and  Hands,  and  Anderson,  and  other 
ruination  fools  of  you.  And  if  you  want  to  know  about  num- 
ber four,  and  that  boy,  why,  shiver  my  timbers!  isn't  he  a 
hostage?  Are  we  a-going  to  waste  a  hostage?  No,  not  us; 
he  might  be  our  last  chance,  and  I  shouldn't  wonder.  Kill 
that  boy?  not  me,  mates!  And  number  three?  Ah,  well, 
there  's  a  deal  to  say  to  number  three.  Maybe  you  don't 
count  it  nothing  to  have  a  real  college  doctor  come  to  see  you 
every  day  —  you,  John,  with  your  head  broke  —  or  you, 
George  Merry,  that  had  the  ague  shakes  upon  you  not  s^c 
hours  agone,  and  has  your  eyes  the  colour  of  lemon  peel  to 
this  same  moment  on  the  clock  ?  And  maybe,  perhaps,  you 
didn't  know  there  was  a  consort  coming,  either  ?  But  there 
is ;  and  not  so  long  till  then ;  and  we  '11  see  who  '11  be  glad  to 
have  a  hostage  when  it  comes  to  that.  And  as  for  number 
two,  and  why  I  made  a  bargain  —  well,  you  came  crawling 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

on  your  knees  to  me  to  make  it  —  on  your  knees  you  came, 
you  was  that  downhearted  —  and  you  'd  have  starved,  too,  if  I 
hadn't  —  but  that 's  a  trifle!  you  look  there  —  that 's  why!" 

And  he  cast  down  upon  the  floor  a  paper  that  I  instantly 
recognised  —  none  other  than  the  chart  on  yellow  paper,  with 
the  three  red  crosses,  that  I  had  found  in  the  oilcloth  at  the 
bottom  of  the  captain's  chest.  Why  the  doctor  had  given  it 
to  him  was  more  than  I  could  fancy. 

But  if  it  were  inexplicable  to  me,  the  appearance  of  the 
chart  was  incredible  to  the  surviving  mutineers.  They  leaped 
upon  it  like  cats  upon  a  mouse.  It  went  from  hand  to  hand, 
one  tearing  it  from  another;  and  by  the  oaths  and  the  cries 
and  the  childish  laughter  with  which  they  accompanied  their 
examination,  you  would  have  thought,  not  only  they  were 
fingering  the  very  gold,  but  were  at  sea  with  it,  besides,  in 
safety. 

"Yes,"  said  one,  "that's  Flint,  sure  enough.  J.  F.,  and 
a  score  below,  with  a  clove  hitch  to  it;  so  he  done  ever." 

"Mighty  pretty,"  said  George.  "But  how  are  we  to  get 
away  with  it,  and  us  no  ship  ?" 

Silver  suddenly  sprang  up,  and  supporting  himself  with  a 
hand  against  the  wall:  "Now  I  give  you  warning,  George," 
he  cried.  "One  more  word  of  your  sauce,  and  I  '11  call  you 
down  and  fight  you.  How  ?  Why,  how  do  I  know  ?  You 
had  ought  to  tell  me  that  —  you  and  the  rest,  that  lost  me 
my  schooner,  with  your  interference,  burn  you!  But  not  you, 
you  can't;  you  hain't  got  the  invention  of  a  cockroach.  But 
civil  you  can  speak,  and  shall,  George  Merry,  you  may  lay 
to  that." 

[230  ] 


THE  BLACK  SPOT  AGAIN 

"That 's  fair  enow,"  said  the  old  man  Morgan. 

"Fair!  I  reckon  so,"  said  the  sea-cook.  "You  lost  the 
ship ;  I  found  the  treasure.  Who  's  the  better  man  at  that  ? 
And  now  I  resign,  by  thunder !  Elect  whom  you  please  to  be 
your  cap'n  now;  I  'm  done  with  it." 

"Silver!"  they  cried.  "Barbecue  for  ever!  Barbecue  for 
cap'n!" 

"So  that 's  the  toon,  is  it?"  cried  the  cook.  "George,  I 
reckon  you  '11  have  to  wait  another  turn,  friend;  and  lucky 
for  you  as  I  'm  not  a  revengeful  man.  But  that  was  never 
my  way.  And  now,  shipmates,  this  black  spot?  'Tain't 
much  good  now,  is  it  ?  Dick  's  crossed  his  luck  and  spoiled 
his  Bible,  and  that 's  about  all." 

"It'll  do  to  kiss  the  book  on  still,  won't  it?"  growled 
Dick,  who  was  evidently  uneasy  at  the  curse  he  had  brought 
upon  himself. 

"A  Bible  with  a  bit  cut  out!"  returned  Silver,  derisively. 
"Not  it.  It  don't  bind  no  more  'n  a  ballad-book." 

"Don't  it,  though  ?"  cried  Dick,  with  a  sort  of  joy.  "Well, 
I  reckon  that 's  worth  having,  too." 

"Here,  Jim  —  here's  a  cur'osity  for  you,"  said  Silver; 
and  he  tossed  me  the  paper. 

It  was  a  round,  about  the  size  of  a  crown  piece.  One  side 
was  blank,  for  it  had  been  the  last  leaf;  the  other  contained  a 
verse  or  two  of  Revelation  —  these  words  among  the  rest, 
which  struck  sharply  home  upon  my  mind:  "Without  are 
dogs  and  murderers."  The  printed  side  had  been  blackened 
with  wood  ash,  which  already  began  to  come  off  and  soil  my 
fingers;  on  the  blank  side  had  been  written  with  the  same 

[231] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

material  the  one  word  "Deposed."  I  have  that  curiosity 
beside  me  at  this  moment;  but  not  a  trace  of  writing  now 
remains  beyond  a  single  scratch,  such  as  a  man  might  make 
with  his  thumb-nail. 

That  was  the  end  of  the  night's  business.  Soon  after, 
with  a  drink  all  round,  we  lay  down  to  sleep,  and  the  outside 
of  Silver's  vengeance  was  to  put  George  Merry  up  for  sentinel, 
and  threaten  him  with  death  if  he  should  prove  unfaithful. 

It  was  long  ere  I  could  close  an  eye,  and  Heaven  knows 
I  had  matter  enough  for  thought  in  the  man  whom  I  had 
slain  that  afternoon,  in  my  own  most  perilous  position,  and, 
above  all,  in  the  remarkable  game  that  I  saw  Silver  now  en- 
gaged upon  —  keeping  the  mutineers  together  with  one  hand, 
and  grasping,  with  the  other,  after  every  means,  possible  and 
impossible,  to  make  his  peace  and  save  his  miserable  life. 
He  himself  slept  peacefully,  and  snored  aloud;  yet  my  heart 
was  sore  for  him,  wicked  as  he  was,  to  think  on  the  dark 
perils  that  environed,  and  the  shameful  gibbet  that  awaited 
him. 


[  232  ] 


CHAPTER  XXX 
ON  PAROLE 

I   WAS   wakened  —  indeed,  we  were   all  wakened,  for  I 
could  see  even  the  sentinel  shake  himself  together  from 
where  he  had  fallen  against  the  door-post  —  by  a  clear, 
hearty  voice  hailing  us  from  the  margin  of  the  wood: 

"Block-house,  ahoy!"   it  cried.     "Here  's  the  doctor." 

And  the  doctor  it  was.  Although  I  was  glad  to  hear  the 
sound,  yet  my  gladness  was  not  without  admixture.  I  re- 
membered with  confusion  my  insubordinate  and  stealthy  con- 
duct ;  and  when  I  saw  where  it  had  brought  me  —  among 
what  companions  and  surrounded  by  what  dangers  —  I  felt 
ashamed  to  look  him  in  the  face. 

He  must  have  risen  in  the  dark,  for  the  day  had  hardly 
come;  and  when  I  ran  to  a  loophole  and  looked  out,  I  saw 
him  standing,  like  Silver  once  before,  up  to  the  mid-leg  in 
creeping  vapour. 

"You,  doctor!  Top  o'  the  morning  to  you,  sir!"  cried 
Silver,  broad  awake  and  beaming  with  good  nature  in  a 
moment.  "Bright  and  early,  to  be  sure;  and  it's  the  early 
bird,  as  the  saying  goes,  that  gets  the  rations.  George,  shake 
up  your  timbers,  son,  and  help  Dr.  Livesey  over  the  ship's 
side.  All  a-doin'  well,  your  patients  was  —  all  well  and 
merry." 

[233  ] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

So  he  pattered  on,  standing  on  the  hilltop,  with  his 
crutch  under  his  elbow,  and  one  hand  upon  the  side  of 
the  log-house  —  quite  the  old  John  in  voice,  manner,  and 
expression. 

"We've  quite  a  surprise  for  you,  too,  sir,"  he  continued. 
"We  've  a  little  stranger  here  —  he!  he!  A  noo  boarder  and 
lodger,  sir,  and  looking  fit  and  taut  as  a  fiddle;  slep'  like  a 
supercargo,  he  did,  right  alongside  of  John  —  stem  to  stem 
we  was,  all  night." 

Dr.  Livesey  was  by  this  time  across  the  stockade  and 
pretty  near  the  cook;  and  I  could  hear  the  alteration  in  his 
voice  as  he  said: 

"Not  Jim?" 

"The  very  same  Jim  as  ever  was,"  says  Silver. 

The  doctor  stopped  outright,  although  he  did  not  speak, 
and  it  was  some  seconds  before  he  seemed  able  to  move  on. 

"Well,  well,"  he  said,  at  last,  "duty  first  and  pleasure 
afterwards,  as  you  might  have  said  yourself,  Silver.  Let  us 
overhaul  these  patients  of  yours." 

A  moment  afterwards  he  had  entered  the  block-house, 
and,  with  one  grim  nod  to  me,  proceeded  with  his  work 
among  the  sick.  He  seemed  under  no  apprehension,  though 
he  must  have  known  that  his  life,  among  these  treacherous 
demons,  depended  on  a  hair;  and  he  rattled  on  to  his  patients 
as  if  he  were  paying  an  ordinary  professional  visit  in  a  quiet 
English  family.  His  manner,  I  suppose,  reacted  on  the  men ; 
for  they  behaved  to  him  as  if  nothing  had  occurred  —  as  if  he 
were  still  ship's  doctor,  and  they  still  faithful  hands  before 
the  mast. 

[234] 


ON  PAROLE 

"You  're  doing  well,  my  friend,"  he  said  to  the  fellow 
with  the  bandaged  head,  "and  if  ever  any  person  had  a  close 
shave,  it  was  you;  your  head  must  be  as  hard  as  iron.  Well, 
George,  how  goes  it  ?  You  're  a  pretty  colour,  certainly ;  why, 
your  liver,  man,  is  upside  down.  Did  you  take  that  medi- 
cine ?  Did  he  take  that  medicine,  men  ?" 

"Ay,  ay,  sir,  he  took  it,  sure  enough,"  returned  Morgan. 

"Because,  you  see,  since  I  am  mutineers'  doctor,  or  prison 
doctor,  as  I  prefer  to  call  it,"  says  Dr.  Livesey,  in  his  pleas- 
antest  way,  "I  make  it  a  point  of  honour  not  to  lose  a  man 
for  King  George  (God  bless  him!)  and  the  gallows." 

The  rogues  looked  at  each  other,  but  swallowed  the  home- 
thrust  in  silence. 

"Dick  don't  feel  well,  sir,"  said  one. 

"Don't  he?"  replied  the  doctor.  "Well,  step  up  here, 
Dick,  and  let  me  see  you  tongue.  No,  I  should  be  surprised 
if  he  did!  the  man's  tongue  is  fit  to  frighten  the  French. 
Another  fever." 

"Ah,  there,"  said  Morgan,  "that  corned  of  sp'iling  Bibles." 

"That  corned  —  as  you  call  it  —  of  being  arrant  asses," 
retorted  the  doctor,  "and  not  having  sense  enough  to  know 
honest  air  from  poison,  and  the  dry  land  from  a  vile,  pestifer- 
ous slough.  I  think  it  most  probable  —  though,  of  course, 
it 's  only  an  opinion  —  that  you  '11  all  have  the  deuce  to  pay 
before  you  get  that  malaria  out  of  your  systems.  Camp  in 
a  bog,  would  you  ?  Silver,  I  'm  surprised  at  you.  You  're 
less  of  a  fool  than  many,  take  you  all  round;  but  you  don't 
appear  to  me  to  have  the  rudiments  of  a  notion  of  the  rules 
of  health. 

[235] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

"Well,"  he  added,  after  he  had  dosed  them  round,  and 
they  had  taken  his  prescriptions,  with  really  laughable  hu- 
mility, more  like  charity  schoolchildren  than  blood-guilty 
mutineers  and  pirates  —  "well,  that 's  done  for  to-day.  And 
now  I  should  wish  to  have  a  talk  with  that  boy,  please." 

And  he  nodded  his  head  in  my  direction  carelessly. 

George  Merry  was  at  the  door,  spitting  and  spluttering 
over  some  bad-tasted  medicine;  but  at  the  first  word  of  the 
doctor's  proposal  he  swung  round  with  a  deep  flush,  and  cried 
"No!"  and  swore. 

Silver  struck  the  barrel  with  his  open  hand. 

"Si-lence!"  he  roared,  and  looked  about  him  positively 
like  a  lion.  "Doctor,"  he  went  on,  in  his  usual  tones,  "I 
was  a-thinking  of  that,  knowing  as  how  you  had  a  fancy  for 
the  boy.  We  're  all  humbly  grateful  for  your  kindness,  and, 
as  you  see,  puts  faith  in  you,  and  takes  the  drugs  down  like 
that  much  grog.  And  I  take  it  I  've  found  a  way  as  '11  suit 
all.  Hawkins,  will  you  give  me  your  word  of  honour  as  a 
young  gentleman  —  for  a  young  gentleman  you  are,  although 
poor  born  — your  word  of  honour  not  to  slip  your  cable?" 

I  readily  gave  the  pledge  required 

"Then,  doctor,"  said  Silver,  "you  just  step  outside  o'  that 
stockade,  and  once  you  're  there,  I  '11  bring  the  boy  down  on 
the  inside,  and  I  reckon  you  can  yarn  through  the  spars. 
Good-day  to  you,  sir,  and  all  our  dooties  to  the  squire  and 
Cap'n  Smollett." 

The  explosion  of  disapproval,  which  nothing  but  Silver's 
black  looks  had  restrained,  broke  out  immediately  the  doctor 
had  left  the  house.  Silver  was  roundly  accused  of  playing 

[  236  ] 


ON  PAROLE 

double  —  of  trying  to  make  a  separate  peace  for  himself  —  of 
sacrificing  the  interests  of  his  accomplices  and  victims;  and, 
in  one  word,  of  the  identical,  exact  thing  that  he  was  doing. 
It  seemed  to  me  so  obvious,  in  this  case,  that  I  could  not 
imagine  how  he  was  to  turn  their  anger.  But  he  was  twice 
the  man  the  rest  were;  and  his  last  night's  victory  had  given 
him  a  huge  preponderance  on  their  minds.  He  called  them 
all  the  fools  and  dolts  you  can  imagine,  said  it  was  necessary 
I  should  talk  to  the  doctor,  fluttered  the  chart  in  their  faces, 
asked  them  if  they  could  afford  to  break  the  treaty  the  very 
day  they  were  bound  a-treasure-hunting. 

"No,  by  thunder!"  he  cried,  "it's  us  must  break  the 
treaty  when  the  time  comes ;  and  till  then  I  '11  gammon  that 
doctor,  if  I  have  to  ile  his  boots  with  brandy." 

And  then  he  bade  them  get  the  fire  lit,  and  stalked  out 
upon  his  crutch,  with  his  hand  on  my  shoulder,  leaving  them 
in  a  disarray,  and  silenced  by  his  volubility  rather  than  con- 
vinced. 

"Slow,  lad,  slow,"  he  said.  "They  might  round  upon  us 
in  a  twinkle  of  an  eye,  if  we  was  seen  to  hurry." 

Very  deliberately,  then,  did  we  advance  across  the  sand 
to  where  the  doctor  awaited  us  on  the  other  side  of  the  stock- 
ade, and  as  soon  as  we  were  within  easy  speaking  distance, 
Silver  stopped. 

"You  '11  make  a  note  of  this  here  also,  doctor,"  says  he, 
"and  the  boy  '11  tell  you  how  I  saved  his  life,  and  were  de- 
posed for  it,  too,  and  you  may  lay  to  that.  Doctor,  when  a 
man  's  steering  as  near  the  wind  as  me  —  playing  chuck- 
farthing  with  the  last  breath  in  his  body,  like  —  you  wouldn't 

[237  ] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

think  it  too  much,  mayhap,  to  give  him  one  good  word  ? 
You  '11  please  bear  in  mind  it 's  not  my  life  only  now  —  it 's 
that  boy's  into  the  bargain ;  and  you  '11  speak  me  fair,  doctor, 
and  give  me  a  bit  o'  hope  to  go  on,  for  the  sake  of  mercy." 

Silver  was  a  changed  man,  once  he  was  out  there  and  had 
his  back  to  his  friends  and  the  block-house;  his  cheeks  seemed 
to  have  fallen  in,  his  voice  trembled;  never  was  a  soul  more 
dead  in  earnest. 

"Why,  John,  you  're  not  afraid  ?"  asked  Dr.  Livesey. 

"Doctor,  I'm  no  coward;  no,  not  I  —  not  so  much!" 
and  he  snapped  his  fingers.  "If  I  was  I  wouldn't  say  it. 
But  I  '11  own  up  fairly,  I  've  the  shakes  upon  me  for  the  gal- 
lows. You  're  a  good  man  and  a  true;  I  never  seen  a  better 
man!  And  you  '11  not  forget  what  I  done  good,  not  any  more 
than  you  '11  forget  the  bad,  I  know.  And  I  step  aside  —  see 
here  —  and  leave  you  and  Jim  alone.  And  you  '11  put  that 
down  for  me,  too,  for  it's  a  long  stretch,  is  that!" 

So  saying,  he  stepped  back  a  little  way,  till  he  was  out 
of  earshot,  and  there  sat  down  upon  a  tree-stump  and  began 
to  whistle;  spinning  round  now  and  again  upon  his  seat  so  as 
to  command  a  sight,  sometimes  of  me  and  the  doctor,  and 
sometimes  of  his  unruly  ruffians  as  they  went  to  and  fro  in 
the  sand,  between  the  fire  —  which  they  were  busy  rekindling 
—  and  the  house,  from  which  they  brought  forth  pork  and 
bread  to  make  the  breakfast. 

"So,  Jim,"  said  the  doctor,  sadly,  "here  you  are.  As  you 
have  brewed,  so  shall  you  drink,  my  boy.  Heaven  knows,  I 
cannot  find  it  in  my  heart  to  blame  you;  but  this  much  I  will 
say,  be  it  kind  or  unkind:  when  Captain  Smollett  was  well, 

[  238  ] 


ON  PAROLE 

you  dared  not  have  gone  off;  and  when  he  was  ill,  and  couldn't 
help  it,  by  George,  it  was  downright  cowardly!" 

I  will  own  that  I  here  began  to  weep.  "Doctor,"  I  said, 
"you  might  spare  me.  I  have  blamed  myself  enough;  my 
life  's  forfeit  anyway,  and  I  should  have  been  dead  by  now,  if 
Silver  hadn't  stood  for  me;  and,  doctor,  believe  this,  I  can 
die  —  and  I  dare  say  I  deserve  it  —  but  what  I  fear  is  torture. 
If  they  come  to  torture  me " 

"Jim,"  the  doctor  interrupted,  and  his  voice  was  quite 
changed,  "Jim,  I  can't  have  this.  Whip  over,  and  we  '11  run 
for  it." 

"Doctor,"  said  I,  "I  passed  my  word." 

"I  know,  I  know,"  he  cried.  "We  can't  help  that,  Jim, 
now.  I  '11  take  it  on  my  shoulders,  holus  bolus,  blame  and 
shame,  my  boy;  but  stay  here,  I  cannot  let  you.  Jump!  One 
jump,  and  you  're  out,  and  we  '11  run  for  it  like  antelopes." 

"No,"  I  replied,  "you  know  right  well  you  wouldn't  do  the 
thing  yourself;  neither  you,  nor  squire,  nor  captain;  and  no 
more  will  I.  Silver  trusted  me;  I  passed  my  word,  and  back  I 
go.  But,  doctor,  you  did  not  let  me  finish.  If  they  come  to 
torture  me,  I  might  let  slip  a  word  of  where  the  ship  is ;  for  I 
got  the  ship,  part  by  luck  and  part  by  risking,  and  she  lies 
in  North  Inlet,  on  the  southern  beach,  and  just  below  high 
water.  At  half  tide  she  must  be  high  and  dry." 

"The  ship!"  exclaimed  the  doctor. 

Rapidly  I  described  to  him  my  adventures,  and  he  heard 
me  out  in  silence. 

"There  is  a  kind  of  fate  in  this,"  he  observed,  when  I 
had  done.  "Every  step,  it's  you  that  saves  our  lives;  and 

[  239  ] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

do  you  suppose  by  any  chance  that  we  are  going  to  let  you 
lose  yours?  That  would  be  a  poor  return,  my  boy.  You 
found  out  the  plot;  you  found  Ben  Gunn  —  the  best  deed 
that  ever  you  did,  or  will  do,  though  you  live  to  ninety.  Oh, 
by  Jupiter,  and  talking  of  Ben  Gunn!  why,  this  is  the  mis- 
chief in  person.  Silver,"  he  cried,  "Silver!  —  I  '11  give  you  a 
piece  of  advice,"  he  continued,  as  the  cook  drew  near  again; 
"don't  you  be  in  any  great  hurry  after  that  treasure." 

"Why,  sir,  I  do  my  possible,  which  that  ain't,"  said  Silver. 
"I  can  only,  asking  your  pardon,  save  my  life  and  the  boy's 
by  seeking  for  that  treasure;  and  you  may  lay  to  that." 

"Well,  Silver,"  replied  the  doctor,  "if  that  is  so,  I  '11  go 
one  step  further:  look  out  for  squalls  when  you  find  it." 

"Sir,"  said  Silver,  "as  between  man  and  man,  that 's  too 
much  and  too  little.  What  you  're  after,  why  you  left  the 
block-house,  why  you  've  given  me  that  there  chart,  I  don't 
know,  now,  do  I  ?  and  yet  I  done  your  bidding  with  my  eyes 
shut  and  never  a  word  of  hope!  But  no,  this  here  's  too 
much.  If  you  won't  tell  me  what  you  mean  plain  out,  just  say 
so,  and  I  '11  leave  the  helm." 

"No,"  said  the  doctor,  musingly,  "I  've  no  right  to  say 
more;  it 's  not  my  secret,  you  see,  Silver,  or,  I  give  you  my 
word,  I  'd  tell  it  you.  But  I  '11  go  as  far  with  you  as  I  dare 
go,  and  a  step  beyond ;  for  I  '11  have  my  wig  sorted  by  the 
captain  or  I  'm  mistaken !  And,  first,  I  '11  give  you  a  bit  of 
hope:  Silver,  if  we  both  get  alive  out  of  this  wolf-trap,  I  '11 
do  my  best  to  save  you,  short  of  perjury." 

Silver's  face  was  radiant.  "You  couldn't  say  more,  I'm 
sure,  sir,  not  if  you  was  my  mother,"  he  cried. 

[  240  ] 


ON  PAROLE 

"Well,  that's  my  first  concession,"  added  the  doctor. 
"My  second  is  a  piece  of  advice:  Keep  the  boy  close  be- 
side you,  and  when  you  need  help,  halloo.  I  'm  off  to  seek 
it  for  you,  and  that  itself  will  show  you  if  I  speak  at  random. 
Good-bye,  Jim." 

And  Dr.  Livesey  shook  hands  with  me  through  the  stock- 
ade, nodded  to  Silver,  and  set  off  at  a  brisk  pace  into  the  wood. 


[241] 


CHAPTER  XXXI 
THE  TREASURE  HUNT  — FLINT'S  POINTER 

"  If  IM,"  said  Silver,  when  we  were  alone,  "if  I  saved  your 
life,  you  saved  mine ;  and  I  '11  not  forget  it.  I  seen  the 
^•^  doctor  waving  you  to  run  for  it  —  with  the  tail  of  my 
eye,  I  did;  and  I  seen  you  say  no,  as  plain  as  hearing.  Jim, 
that 's  one  to  you.  This  is  the  first  glint  of  hope  I  had 
since  the  attack  failed,  and  I  owe  it  you.  And  now,  Jim, 
we  're  to  go  in  for  this  here  treasure  hunting,  with  sealed 
orders,  too,  and  I  don't  like  it;  and  you  and  me  must  stick 
close,  back  to  back  like,  and  we  '11  save  our  necks  in  spite  o' 
fate  and  fortune." 

Just  then  a  man  hailed  us  from  the  fire  that  breakfast 
was  ready,  and  we  were  soon  seated  here  and  there  about 
the  sand  over  biscuit  and  fried  junk.  They  had  lit  a  fire  fit 
to  roast  an  ox;  and  it  was  now  grown  so  hot  that  they 
could  only  approach  it  from  the  windward,  and  even  there 
not  without  precaution.  In  the  same  wasteful  spirit,  they 
had  cooked,  I  suppose,  three  times  more  than  we  could  eat; 
and  one  of  them,  with  an  empty  laugh,  threw  what  was  left 
into  the  fire,  which  blazed  and  roared  again  over  this  unusual 
fuel.  I  never  in  my  life  saw  men  so  careless  of  the  morrow; 
hand  to  mouth  is  the  only  word  that  can  describe  their  way 
of  doing;  and  what  with  wasted  food  and  sleeping  sentries, 

[242] 


FLINT'S  POINTER 

though  they  were  bold  enough  for  a  brush  and  be  done  with 
it,  I  could  see  their  entire  unfitness  for  anything  like  a  pro- 
longed campaign. 

Even  Silver,  eating  away,  with  Captain  Flint  upon  his 
shoulder,  had  not  a  word  of  blame  for  their  recklessness. 
And  this  the  more  surprised  me,  for  I  thought  he  had  never 
shown  himself  so  cunning  as  he  did  then. 

"Ay,  mates,"  said  he,  "it's  lucky  you  have  Barbecue  to 
think  for  you  with  this  here  head.  I  got  what  I  wanted,  I 
did.  Sure  enough,  they  have  the  ship.  Where  they  have  it, 
I  don't  know  yet;  but  once  we  hit  the  treasure,  we  '11  have 
to  jump  about  and  find  out.  And  then,  mates,  us  that  has 
the  boats,  I  reckon,  has  the  upper  hand." 

Thus  he  kept  running  on,  with  his  mouth  full  of  the  hot 
bacon:  thus  he  restored  their  hope  and  confidence,  and,  I 
more  than  suspect,  repaired  his  own  at  the  same  time. 

"As  for  hostage,"  he  continued,  "that's  his  last  talk,  I 
guess,  with  them  he  loves  so  dear.  I  've  got  my  piece  o' 
news,  and  thanky  to  him  for  that;  but  it 's  over  and  done. 
I  '11  take  him  in  a  line  when  we  go  treasure-hunting,  for  we  '11 
keep  him  like  so  much  gold,  in  case  of  accidents,  you  mark, 
and  in  the  meantime.  Once  we  get  the  ship  and  treasure 
both,  and  off  to  sea  like  jolly  companions,  why,  then,  we  '11 
talk  Mr.  Hawkins  over,  we  will,  and  we  '11  give  him  his 
share,  to  be  sure,  for  all  his  kindness." 

It  was  no  wonder  the  men  were  in  a  good  humour  now. 
For  my  part,  I  was  horribly  cast  down.  Should  the  scheme 
he  had  now  sketched  prove  feasible,  Silver,  already  doubly 
a  traitor,  would  not  hesitate  to  adopt  it.  He  had  still  a 

[243] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

foot  in  either  camp,  and  there  was  no  doubt  he  would 
prefer  wealth  and  freedom  with  the  pirates  to  a  bare  es- 
cape from  hanging,  which  was  the  best  he  had  to  hope  on 
our  side. 

Nay,  and  even  if  things  so  fell  out  that  he  was  forced  to 
keep  his  faith  with  Dr.  Livesey,  even  then  what  danger  lay 
before  us!  What  a  moment  that  would  be  when  the  sus- 
picions of  his  followers  turned  to  certainty,  and  he  and  I 
should  have  to  fight  for  dear  life  —  he,  a  cripple,  and  I,  a  boy 
—  against  five  strong  and  active  seamen ! 

Add  to  this  double  apprehension,  the  mystery  that  still 
hung  over  the  behaviour  of  my  friends;  their  unexplained 
desertion  of  the  stockade;  their  inexplicable  cession  of  the 
chart;  or,  harder  still  to  understand,  the  doctor's  last  warning 
to  Silver,  "Look  out  for  squalls  when  you  find  it";  and  you 
will  readily  believe  how  little  taste  I  found  in  my  breakfast, 
and  with  how  uneasy  a  heart  I  set  forth  behind  my  captors 
on  the  quest  for  treasure. 

We  made  a  curious  figure,  had  any  one  been  there  to  see 
us;  all  in  soiled  sailor  clothes,  and  all  but  me  armed  to  the 
teeth.  Silver  had  two  guns  slung  about  him  —  one  before 
and  one  behind  —  besides  the  great  cutlass  at  his  waist,  and 
a  pistol  in  each  pocket  of  his  square-tailed  coat.  To  com- 
plete his  strange  appearance,  Captain  Flint  sat  perched  upon 
his  shoulder  and  gabbling  odds  and  ends  of  purposeless  sea- 
talk.  I  had  a  line  about  my  waist,  and  followed  obediently 
after  the  sea-cook,  who  held  the  loose  end  of  the  rope,  now 
in  his  free  hand,  now  between  his  powerful  teeth.  For  all 
the  world,  I  was  led  like  a  dancing  bear. 

[244] 


foot    in   ei 

prefei  to  a  1 

cape  f;  ;o  hop^  op 

our  side. 

>  forced  t<3 
h.af  danger  lav 
when  i; 

•'     .  '       H 

• 


For  all  the  world,  I  was  led  like  a  dancing  bear 

. 

ty  break- 
my  cap: 

me  armed  to 
it  him  —  one  before 
lass  at  his  w^ 
uled  cos 
tint  sat  perch 
\  ends  of  purposeless 
ray  waist,  and  followed  obedir 
id  the  loose  end  of  the  rope, 
ween  his  powerful  teeth.     For  &• 


FLINT'S  POINTER 

The  other  men  were  variously  burthened;  some  carrying 
picks  and  shovels  —  for  that  had  been  the  very  first  necessary 
they  brought  ashore  from  the  Hispaniola  —  others  laden  with 
pork,  bread,  and  brandy  for  the  mid-day  meal.  All  the  stores, 
I  observed,  came  from  our  stock;  and  I  could  see  the  truth 
of  Silver's  words  the  night  before.  Had  he  not  struck  a  bar- 
gain with  the  doctor,  he  and  his  mutineers,  deserted  by  the 
ship,  must  have  been  driven  to  subsist  on  clear  water  and  the 
proceeds  of  their  hunting.  Water  would  have  been  little  to 
their  taste;  a  sailor  is  not  usually  a  good  shot;  and,  besides 
all  that,  when  they  were  so  short  of  eatables,  it  was  not  likely 
they  would  be  very  flush  of  powder. 

Well,  thus  equipped,  we  all  set  out  —  even  the  fellow 
with  the  broken  head,  who  should  certainly  have  kept  in 
shadow  —  and  straggled,  one  after  another,  to  the  beach, 
where  the  two  gigs  awaited  us.  Even  these  bore  trace  of  the 
drunken  folly  of  the  pirates,  one  in  a  broken  thwart,  and  both 
in  their  muddy  and  unbailed  condition.  Both  were  to  be 
carried  along  with  us,  for  the  sake  of  safety;  and  so,  with 
our  numbers  divided  between  them,  we  set  forth  upon  the 
bosom  of  the  anchorage. 

As  we  pulled  over,  there  was  some  discussion  on  the 
chart.  The  red  cross  was,  of  course,  far  too  large  to  be  a 
guide;  and  the  terms  of  the  note  on  the  back,  as  you  will 
hear,  admitted  of  some  ambiguity.  They  ran,  the  reader 
may  remember,  thus : 

"Tall  tree,  Spy-glass  shoulder,  bearing  a  point  to  the  N.  of  N.N.E. 
"Skeleton  Island  E.S.E.  and  by  E. 
"Ten  feet." 

[245] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

A  tall  tree  was  thus  the  principal  mark.  Now,  right  be- 
fore us,  the  anchorage  was  bounded  by  a  plateau  from  two  to 
three  hundred  feet  high,  adjoining  on  the  north  the  sloping 
southern  shoulder  of  the  Spy-glass,  and  rising  again  towards 
the  south  into  the  rough,  cliffy  eminence  called  the  Mizzen- 
mast  Hill.  The  top  of  the  plateau  was  dotted  thickly  with 
pine  trees  of  varying  height.  Every  here  and  there,  one  of  a 
different  species  rose  forty  or  fifty  feet  clear  above  its  neigh- 
bours, and  which  of  these  was  the  particular  "tall  tree"  of 
Captain  Flint  could  only  be  decided  on  the  spot,  and  by  the 
readings  of  the  compass. 

Yet,  although  that  was  the  case,  every  man  on  board  the 
boats  had  picked  a  favourite  of  his  own  ere  we  were  half- 
way over,  Long  John  alone  shrugging  his  shoulders  and  bid- 
ding them  wait  till  they  were  there. 

We  pulled  easily,  by  Silver's  directions,  not  to  weary 
the  hands  prematurely;  and,  after  quite  a  long  passage, 
landed  at  the  mouth  of  the  second  river  —  that  which 
runs  down  a  woody  cleft  of  the  Spy-glass.  Thence,  bend- 
ing to  our  left,  we  began  to  ascend  the  slope  towards  the 
plateau. 

At  the  first  outset,  heavy,  miry  ground  and  a  matted, 
marish  vegetation,  greatly  delayed  our  progress;  but  by  little 
and  little  the  hill  began  to  steepen  and  become  stony  under 
foot,  and  the  wood  to  change  its  character  and  to  grow  in  a 
more  open  order.  It  was,  indeed,  a  most  pleasant  portion  of 
the  island  that  we  were  now  approaching.  A  heavy-scented 
broom  and  many  flowering  shrubs  had  almost  taken  the 
place  of  grass.  Thickets  of  green  nutmeg  trees  were  dotted 

[246] 


FLINT'S  POINTER 

here  and  there  with  the  red  columns  and  the  broad  shadow 
of  the  pines;  and  the  first  mingled  their  spice  with  the  aroma 
of  the  others.  The  air,  besides,  was  fresh  and  stirring,  and 
this,  under  the  sheer  sunbeams,  was  a  wonderful  refreshment 
to  our  senses. 

The  party  spread  itself  abroad,  in  a  fan  shape,  shouting 
and  leaping  to  and  fro.  About  the  centre,  and  a  good  way 
behind  the  rest,  Silver  and  I  followed  —  I  tethered  by  my 
rope,  he  ploughing,  with  deep  pants,  among  the  sliding  gravel. 
From  time  to  time,  indeed,  I  had  to  lend  him  a  hand,  or 
he  must  have  missed  his  footing  and  fallen  backward  down 
the  hill. 

We  had  thus  proceeded  for  about  half  a  mile,  and  were 
approaching  the  brow  of  the  plateau,  when  the  man  upon 
the  farthest  left  began  to  cry  aloud,  as  if  in  terror.  Shout 
after  shout  came  from  him,  and  the  others  began  to  run  in 
his  direction. 

"He  can't  'a'  found  the  treasure,"  said  old  Morgan,  hurry- 
ing past  us  from  the  right,  "for  that 's  clean  a-top." 

Indeed,  as  we  found  when  we  also  reached  the  spot,  it 
was  something  very  different.  At  the  foot  of  a  pretty  big 
pine,  and  involved  in  a  green  creeper,  which  had  even  partly 
lifted  some  of  the  smaller  bones,  a  human  skeleton  lay,  with  a 
few  shreds  of  clothing,  on  the  ground.  I  believe  a  chill  struck 
for  a  moment  to  every  heart. 

"He  was  a  seaman,"  said  George  Merry,  who,  bolder 
than  the  rest,  had  gone  up  close,  and  was  examining  the 
rags  of  clothing.  "Leastways,  this  is  good  sea-cloth." 

"Ay,  ay,"  said  Silver,  "like  enough;  you  wouldn't  look 
[247] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

to  find  a  bishop  here,  I  reckon.  But  what  sort  of  a  way  is 
that  for  bones  to  lie  ?  Tain't  in  natur'." 

Indeed,  on  a  second  glance,  it  seemed  impossible  to 
fancy  that  the  body  was  in  a  natural  position.  But  for 
some  disarray  (the  work,  perhaps,  of  the  birds  that  had 
fed  upon  him,  or  of  the  slow-growing  creeper  that  had 
gradually  enveloped  his  remains)  the  man  lay  perfectly 
straight  —  his  feet  pointing  in  one  direction,  his  hands, 
raised  above  his  head  like  a  diver's,  pointing  directly  in  the 
opposite. 

"I  *ve  taken  a  notion  into  my  old  numskull,"  observed 
Silver.  "Here's  the  compass;  there's  the  tip-top  p'int  o' 
Skeleton  Island,  stickin'  out  like  a  tooth.  Just  take  a  bear- 
ing, will  you,  along  the  line  of  them  bones." 

It  was  done.  The  body  pointed  straight  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  island,  and  the  compass  read  duly  E.  S.  E. 
and  by  E. 

"I  thought  so,"  cried  the  cook;  "this  here  is  a  p'inter. 
Right  up  there  is  our  line  for  the  Pole  Star  and  the  jolly 
dollars.  But,  by  thunder!  if  it  don't  make  me  cold  inside 
to  think  of  Flint.  This  is  one  of  his  jokes,  and  no  mistake. 
Him  and  these  six  was  alone  here;  he  killed  'em,  every  man; 
and  this  one  he  hauled  here  and  laid  down  by  compass, 
shiver  my  timbers !  They  're  long  bones,  and  the  hair  's  been 
yellow.  Ay,  that  would  be  Allardyce.  You  mind  Allardyce, 
Tom  Morgan?" 

"Ay,  ay,"  returned  Morgan,  "I  mind  him;  he  owed  me 
money,  he  did,  and  took  my  knife  ashore  with  him." 

"Speaking  of  knives,"  said  another,  "why  don't  we  find 
[248] 


FLINT'S  POINTER 

his'n  lying  round  ?     Flint  warn't  the  man  to  pick  a  seaman's 
pocket;  and  the  birds,  I  guess,  would  leave  it  be." 

"By  the  powers,  and  that 's  true!"   cried  Silver. 

"There  ain't  a  thing  left  here,"  said  Merry,  still  feeling 
round  among  the  bones,  "not  a  copper  doit  nor  a  baccy  box. 
It  don't  look  nat'ral  to  me." 

"No,  by  gum,  it  don't,"  agreed  Silver;  "not  nat'ral,  nor 
not  nice,  says  you.  Great  guns!  messmates,  but  if  Flint 
was  living,  this  would  be  a  hot  spot  for  you  and  me.  Six 
they  were,  and  six  are  we;  and  bones  is  what  they  are 
now." 

"I  saw  him  dead  with  these  here  dead-lights,"  said  Mor- 
gan. "Billy  took  me  in.  There  he  laid,  with  penny-pieces 
on  his  eyes." 

"Dead  —  ay,  sure  enough  he's  dead  and  gone  be- 
low," said  the  fellow  with  the  bandage;  "but  if  ever  sperrit 
walked,  it  would  be  Flint's.  Dear  heart,  but  he  died  bad, 
did  Flint!" 

"Ay,  that  he  did,"  observed  another;  "now  he  raged, 
and  now  he  hollered  for  the  rum,  and  now  he  sang.  *  Fif- 
teen Men'  were  his  only  song,  mates;  and  I  tell  you  true, 
I  never  rightly  liked  to  hear  it  since.  It  was  main  hot, 
and  the  windy  was  open,  and  I  hear  that  old  song  comin* 
out  as  clear  as  clear  —  and  the  death-haul  on  the  man 
already." 

"Come,  come,"  said  Silver,  "stow  this  talk.  He's  dead, 
and  he  don't  walk,  that  I  know;  leastways,  he  won't  walk 
by  day,  and  you  may  lay  to  that.  Care  killed  a  cat.  Fetch 
ahead  for  the  doubloons." 

[249] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

We  started,  certainly;  but  in  spite  of  the  hot  sun  and 
the  staring  daylight,  the  pirates  no  longer  ran  separate  and 
shouting  through  the  wood,  but  kept  side  by  side  and  spoke 
with  bated  breath.  The  terror  of  the  dead  buccaneer  had 
fallen  on  their  spirits. 


[250] 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

THE  TREASURE  HUNT  —  THE  VOICE  AMONG 
THE  TREES 

PARTLY  from  the  damping  influence  of  this  alarm, 
partly  to  rest  Silver  and  the  sick  folk,  the  whole  party 
sat  down  as  soon  as  they  had  gained  the  brow  of  the 
ascent. 

The  plateau  being  somewhat  tilted  towards  the  west,  this 
spot  on  which  we  had  paused  commanded  a  wide  prospect 
on  either  hand.  Before  us,  over  the  tree- tops,  we  beheld  the 
Cape  of  the  Woods  fringed  with  surf;  behind,  we  not  only 
looked  down  upon  the  anchorage  and  Skeleton  Island,  but 
saw  —  clear  across  the  spit  and  the  eastern  lowlands  —  a  great 
field  of  open  sea  upon  the  east.  Sheer  above  us  rose  the  Spy- 
glass, here  dotted  with  single  pines,  there  black  with  preci- 
pices. There  was  no  sound  but  that  of  the  distant  breakers, 
mounting  from  all  round,  and  the  chirp  of  countless  insects 
in  the  brush.  Not  a  man,  not  a  sail  upon  the  sea;  the  very 
largeness  of  the  view  increased  the  sense  of  solitude. 

Silver,  as  he  sat,  took  certain  bearings  with  his  compass. 

"There  are  three  'tall  trees,'"  said  he,  "about  in  the  right 
line  from  Skeleton  Island.  *  Spy-glass  Shoulder,'  I  take  it, 
means  that  lower  p'int  there.  It 's  child's  play  to  find  the 
stuff  now.  I  've  half  a  mind  to  dine  first." 

[251] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

"I  don'  tfeel  sharp,"  growled  Morgan.  "Thinkin'  o'  Flint 
—  I  think  it  were  —  as  done  me." 

"Ah,  well,  my  son,  you  praise  your  stars  he  's  dead,"  said 
Silver. 

"He  were  an  ugly  devil,"  cried  a  third  pirate,  with  a 
shudder;  "that  blue  in  the  face,  too!" 

"That  was  how  the  rum  took  him,"  added  Merry.  "Blue! 
well,  I  reckon  he  was  blue.  That 's  a  true  word." 

Ever  since  they  had  found  the  skeleton  and  got  upon  this 
train  of  thought,  they  had  spoken  lower  and  lower,  and  they 
had  almost  got  to  whispering  by  now,  so  that  the  sound  of 
their  talk  hardly  interrupted  the  silence  of  the  wood.  All  of 
a  sudden,  out  of  the  middle  of  the  trees  in  front  of  us,  a 
thin,  high,  trembling  voice  struck  up  the  well-known  air  and 
words : 

"  Fifteen  men  on  the  dead  man's  chest — 
Yo-ho-ho,  and  a  bottle  of  rum ! " 

I  never  have  seen  men  more  dreadfully  affected  than  the 
pirates.  The  colour  went  from  their  six  faces  like  en- 
chantment; some  leaped  to  their  feet,  some  clawed  hold 
of  others;  Morgan  grovelled  on  the  ground. 

"It 's  Flint,  by !"  cried  Merry. 

The  song  had  stopped  as  suddenly  as  it  began  —  broken 
off,  you  would  have  said,  in  the  middle  of  a  note,  as  though 
some  one  had  laid  his  hand  upon  the  singer's  mouth.  Coming 
so  far  through  the  clear,  sunny  atmosphere  among  the  green 
tree-tops,  I  thought  it  had  sounded  airily  and  sweetly;  and 
the  effect  on  my  companions  was  the  stranger. 

[252] 


THE  VOICE  AMONG  THE  TREES 

"Come,"  said  Silver,  struggling  with  his  ashen  lips  to 
get  the  word  out,  "this  won't  do.  Stand  by  to  go  about. 
This  is  a  rum  start,  and  I  can't  name  the  voice:  but  it's 
some  one  skylarking  —  some  one  that 's  flesh  and  blood, 
and  you  may  lay  to  that." 

His  courage  had  come  back  as  he  spoke,  and  some  of  the 
colour  to  his  face  along  with  it.  Already  the  others  had 
begun  to  lend  an  ear  to  this  encouragement,  and  were  coming 
a  little  to  themselves,  when  the  same  voice  broke  out  again  — 
not  this  time  singing,  but  in  a  faint  distant  hail,  that  echoed 
yet  fainter  among  the  clefts  of  the  Spy-glass. 

"Darby  M'Graw,"  it  wailed  —  for  that  is  the  word  that  best 
describes  the  sound  —  "Darby  M'Graw!  Darby  M'Graw!" 
again  and  again  and  again;  and  then  rising  a  little  higher, 
and  with  an  oath  that  I  leave  out,  "Fetch  aft  the  rum, 
Darby!" 

The  buccaneers  remained  rooted  to  the  ground,  their  eyes 
starting  from  their  heads.  Long  after  the  voice  had  died 
away  they  still  stared  in  silence,  dreadfully,  before  them. 

"That  fixes  it!"  gasped  one.     "Let 's  go!" 

"They  was  his  last  words,"  moaned  Morgan,  "his  last 
words  above  board." 

Dick  had  his  Bible  out,  and  was  praying  volubly.  He  had 
been  well  brought  up,  had  Dick,  before  he  came  to  sea  and 
fell  among  bad  companions. 

Still,  Silver  was  unconquered.  I  could  hear  his  teeth  rattle 
in  his  head ;  but  he  had  not  yet  surrendered. 

"Nobody  in  this  here  island  ever  heard  of  Darby,"  he 
muttered;  "not  one  but  us  that 's  here."  And  then,  making 

[253] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

a  great  effort,  "Shipmates,"  he  cried,  "I  'm  here  to  get  that 
stuff,  and  I  '11  not  be  beat  by  man  nor  devil.  I  never  was 
feared  of  Flint  in  his  life,  and,  by  the  powers,  I  '11  face  him 
dead.  There  *s  seven  hundred  thousand  pound  not  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  from  here.  When  did  ever  a  gentleman  o'  fortune 
show  his  stern  to  that  much  dollars,  for  a  boosy  old  seaman 
with  a  blue  mug  —  and  him  dead,  too  ?" 

But  there  was  no  sign  of  re-awakening  courage  in  his 
followers;  rather,  indeed,  of  growing  terror  at  the  irrever- 
ence of  his  words. 

"Belay  there,  John!"  said  Merry.  "Don't  you  cross  a 
sperrit." 

And  the  rest  were  all  too  terrified  to  reply.  They  would 
have  run  away  severally  had  they  dared;  but  fear  kept  them 
together,  and  kept  them  close  by  John,  as  if  his  daring  helped 
them.  He,  on  his  part,  had  pretty  well  fought  his  weakness 
down. 

"Sperrit?  Well,  maybe,"  he  said.  "But  there's  one 
thing  not  clear  to  me.  There  was  an  echo.  Now,  no  man 
ever  seen  a  sperrit  with  a  shadow ;  well,  then,  what 's  he 
doing  with  an  echo  to  him,  I  should  like  to  know?  That 
ain't  in  natur',  surely?" 

This  argument  seemed  weak  enough  to  me.  But  you 
can  never  tell  what  will  affect  the  superstitious,  and,  to  my 
wonder,  George  Merry  was  greatly  relieved. 

"Well,  that's  so,"  he  said.  "You  've  a  head  upon  your 
shoulders,  John,  and  no  mistake.  'Bout  ship,  mates!  This 
here  crew  is  on  a  wrong  tack,  I  do  believe.  And  come  to 
think  on  it,  it  was  like  Flint's  voice,  I  grant  you,  but  not  just 

[254] 


THE  VOICE  AMONG  THE  TREES 

so  clear-away  like  it,  after  all.     It  was  liker  somebody  else's 
voice  now  —  it  was  liker " 

"By  the  powers,  Ben  Gunn!"  roared  Silver. 

"Ay,  and  so  it  were,"  cried  Morgan,  springing  on  his 
knees.  "Ben  Gunn  it  were!" 

"It  don't  make  much  odds,  do  it,  now?"  asked  Dick. 
"Ben  Gunn  's  not  here  hi  the  body,  any  more  'n  Flint." 

But  the  older  hands  greeted  this  remark  with  scorn. 

"Why,  nobody  minds  Ben  Gunn,"  cried  Merry;  "dead  or 
alive,  nobody  minds  him." 

It  was  extraordinary  how  their  spirits  had  returned,  and 
how  the  natural  colour  had  revived  in  their  faces.  Soon  they 
were  chatting  together,  with  intervals  of  listening;  and  not 
long  after,  hearing  no  further  sound,  they  shouldered  the 
tools  and  set  forth  again,  Merry  walking  first  with  Silver's 
compass  to  keep  them  on  the  right  line  with  Skeleton  Island. 
He  had  said  the  truth:  dead  or  alive,  nobody  minded  Ben 
Gunn. 

Dick  alone  still  held  his  Bible,  and  looked  around  him 
as  he  went,  with  fearful  glances;  but  he  found  no  sympathy, 
and  Silver  even  joked  him  on  his  precautions. 

"I  told  you,"  said  he  —  "I  told  you,  you  had  sp'iled  your 
Bible.  If  it  ain't  no  good  to  swear  by,  what  do  you  suppose 
a  sperrit  would  give  for  it?  Not  that!"  and  he  snapped  his 
big  fingers,  halting  a  moment  on  his  crutch. 

But  Dick  was  not  to  be  comforted;  indeed,  it  was  soon 
plain  to  me  that  the  lad  was  falling  sick;  hastened  by  heat, 
exhaustion,  and  the  shock  of  his  alarm,  the  fever,  predicted 
by  Dr.  Livesey,  was  evidently  growing  swiftly  higher. 

[255] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

It  was  fine  open  walking  here,  upon  the  summit;  our  way 
lay  a  little  down-hill,  for,  as  I  have  said,  the  plateau  tilted 
towards  the  west.  The  pines,  great  and  small,  grew  wide 
apart;  and  even  between  the  clumps  of  nutmeg  and  azalea, 
wide  open  spaces  baked  in  the  hot  sunshine.  Striking,  as 
we  did,  pretty  near  north-west  across  the  island,  we  drew, 
on  the  one  hand,  every  nearer  under  the  shoulders  of  the  Spy- 
glass, and  on  the  other,  looked  ever  wider  over  that  western 
bay  where  I  had  once  tossed  and  trembled  in  the  coracle. 

The  first  of  the  tall  trees  was  reached,  and  by  the  bearing, 
proved  the  wrong  one.  So  with  the  second.  The  third  rose 
nearly  two  hundred  feet  into  the  air  above  a  clump  of  under- 
wood; a  giant  of  a  vegetable,  with  a  red  column  as  big  as  a 
cottage,  and  a  wide  shadow  around  in  which  a  company  could 
have  manoeuvred.  It  was  conspicuous  far  to  sea  both  on  the 
east  and  west,  and  might  have  been  entered  as  a  sailing  mark 
upon  the  chart. 

But  it  was  not  its  size  that  now  impressed  my  companions ; 
it  was  the  knowledge  that  seven  hundred  thousand  pounds  in 
gold  lay  somewhere  buried  below  its  spreading  shadow.  The 
thought  of  the  money,  as  they  drew  nearer,  swallowed  up 
their  previous  terrors.  Their  eyes  burned  in  their  heads; 
their  feet  grew  speedier  and  lighter;  their  whole  soul  was 
bound  up  in  that  fortune,  that  whole  lifetime  of  extravagance 
and  pleasure,  that  lay  waiting  there  for  each  of  them. 

Silver  hobbled,  grunting,  on  his  crutch;  his  nostrils  stood 
out  and  quivered;  he  cursed  like  a  madman  when  the  flies 
settled  on  his  hot  and  shiny  countenance;  he  plucked  furi- 
ously at  the  line  that  held  me  to  him,  and,  from  time  to  time, 

[256] 


THE  VOICE  AMONG  THE  TREES 

turned  his  eyes  upon  me  with  a  deadly  look.  Certainly  he 
took  no  pains  to  hide  his  thoughts;  and  certainly  I  read 
them  like  print.  In  the  immediate  nearness  of  the  gold,  all 
else  had  been  forgotten ;  his  promise  and  the  doctor's  warning 
were  both  things  of  the  past;  and  I  could  not  doubt  that  he 
hoped  to  seize  upon  the  treasure,  find  and  board  the  His- 
paniola  under  cover  of  night,  cut  every  honest  throat  about 
that  island,  and  sail  away  as  he  had  at  first  intended,  laden 
with  crimes  and  riches. 

Shaken  as  I  was  with  these  alarms,  it  was  hard  for  me  to 
keep  up  with  the  rapid  pace  of  the  treasure-hunters.  Now 
and  again  I  stumbled;  and  it  was  then  that  Silver  plucked  so 
roughly  at  the  rope  and  launched  at  me  his  murderous  glances. 
Dick,  who  had  dropped  behind  us,  and  now  brought  up  the 
rear,  was  babbling  to  himself  both  prayers  and  curses,  as  his 
fever  kept  rising.  This  also  added  to  my  wretchedness,  and, 
to  crown  all,  I  was  haunted  by  the  thought  of  the  tragedy 
that  had  once  been  acted  on  that  plateau,  when  that  ungodly 
buccaneer  with  the  blue  face  —  he  who  died  at  Savannah, 
singing  and  shouting  for  drink  —  had  there,  with  his  own 
hand,  cut  down  his  six  accomplices.  This  grove,  that  was 
now  so  peaceful,  must  then  have  rung  with  cries,  I  thought; 
and  even  with  the  thought  I  could  believe  I  heard  it  ringing 
still. 

We  were  now  at  the  margin  of  the  thicket. 

"Huzza,  mates,  all  together!"  shouted  Merry;  and  the 
foremost  broke  into  a  run. 

And  suddenly,  not  ten  yards  further,  we  beheld  them  stop. 
A  low  cry  arose.  Silver  doubled  his  pace,  digging  away 

[257] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

with  the  foot  of  his  crutch  like  one  possessed;  and  next  mo- 
ment he  and  I  had  come  also  to  a  dead  halt. 

Before  us  was  a  great  excavation,  not  very  recent,  for  the 
sides  had  fallen  in  and  grass  had  sprouted  on  the  bottom. 
In  this  were  the  shaft  of  a  pick  broken  in  two  and  the  boards 
of  several  packing-cases  strewn  around.  On  one  of  these 
boards  I  saw,  branded  with  a  hot  iron,  the  name  Walrus  — 
the  name  of  Flint's  ship. 

All  was  clear  to  probation.     The  cache  had  been  found 
and  rifled:    the  seven  hundred  thousand  pounds  were  gone! 


[258] 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 
THE  FALL  OF  A  CHIEFTAIN 

THERE  never  was  such  an  overturn  in  this  world. 
Each  of  these  six  men  was  as  though  he  had  been 
struck.  But  with  Silver  the  blow  passed  almost  in- 
stantly. Every  thought  of  his  soul  had  been  set  full-stretch, 
like  a  racer,  on  that  money;  well,  he  was  brought  up  in  a 
single  second,  dead ;  and  he  kept  his  head,  found  his  temper, 
and  changed  his  plan  before  the  others  had  had  time  to  realize 
the  disappointment. 

"Jim,"  he  whispered,  "take  that,  and  stand  by  for  trouble." 

And  he  passed  me  a  double-barrelled  pistol. 

At  the  same  time  he  began  quietly  moving  northward, 
and  in  a  few  steps  had  put  the  hollow  between  us  two  and 
the  other  five.  Then  he  looked  at  me  and  nodded,  as  much 
as  to  say,  "Here  is  a  narrow  corner,"  as,  indeed,  I  thought 
it  was.  His  looks  were  now  quite  friendly;  and  I  was  so 
revolted  at  these  constant  changes,  that  I  could  not  forbear 
whispering,  "So  you  've  changed  sides  again." 

There  was  no  time  left  for  him  to  answer  in.  The  bucca- 
neers, with  oaths  and  cries,  began  to  leap,  one  after  another, 
into  the  pit,  and  to  dig  with  their  fingers,  throwing  the  boards 
aside  as  they  did  so.  Morgan  found  a  piece  of  gold.  He 
held  it  up  with  a  perfect  spout  of  oaths.  It  was  a  two-guinea 

[259] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

piece,  and  it  went  from  hand  to  hand  among  them  for  a 
quarter  of  a  minute. 

"Two  guineas!"  roared  Merry,  shaking  it  at  Silver. 
"That 's  your  seven  hundred  thousand  pounds,  is  it  ?  You  're 
the  man  for  bargains,  ain't  you  ?  You  're  him  that  never 
bungled  nothing,  you  wooden-headed  lubber!" 

"Dig  away,  boys,"  said  Silver,  with  the  coolest  insolence; 
"you  '11  find  some  pig-nuts  and  I  shouldn't  wonder." 

"Pig-nuts!"  repeated  Merry,  in  a  scream.  "Mates,  do 
you  hear  that?  I  tell  you,  now,  that  man  there  knew  it  all 
along.  Look  in  the  face  of  him,  and  you  '11  see  'it  wrote  there." 

"Ah,  Merry,"  remarked  Silver,  "standing  for  cap'n  again  ? 
You  're  a  pushing  lad,  to  be  sure." 

But  this  time  every  one  was  entirely  in  Merry's  favour. 
They  began  to  scramble  out  of  the  excavation,  darting 
furious  glances  behind  them.  One  thing  I  observed,  which 
looked  well  for  us:  they  all  got  out  upon  the  opposite  side 
from  Silver. 

Well,  there  we  stood,  two  on  one  side,  five  on  the  other, 
the  pit  between  us,  and  nobody  screwed  up  high  enough  to 
offer  the  first  blow.  Silver  never  moved;  he  watched  them, 
very  upright  on  his  crutch,  and  looked  as  cool  as  ever  I  saw 
him.  He  was  brave,  and  no  mistake. 

At  last,  Merry  seemed  to  think  a  speech  might  help 
matters. 

"Mates,"  says  he,  "there's  two  of  them  alone  there; 
one  's  the  old  cripple  that  brought  us  all  here  and  blundered 
us  down  to  this,  the  other  's  that  cub  that  I  mean  to  have 

the  heart  of.     Now,  mates " 

[  260  ] 


THE   FALL   OF  A   CHIEFTAIN 

He  was  raising  his  arm  and  his  voice,  and  plainly  meant 
to  lead  a  charge.  But  just  then  —  crack !  crack !  crack !  — 
three  musket-shots  flashed  out  of  the  thicket.  Merry  tum- 
bled head-foremost  into  the  excavation;  the  man  with  the 
bandage  spun  round  like  a  teetotum,  and  fell  all  his  length 
upon  his  side,  where  he  lay  dead,  but  still  twitching;  and 
the  other  three  turned  and  ran  for  it  with  all  their  might. 

Before  you  could  wink,  Long  John  had  fired  two  barrels 
of  a  pistol  into  the  struggling  Merry;  and  as  the  man  rolled 
up  his  eyes  at  him  in  the  last  agony,  "George,"  said  he,  "I 
reckon  I  settled  you." 

At  the  same  moment  the  doctor,  Gray,  and  Ben  Gunn 
joined  us,  with  smoking  muskets,  from  among  the  nutmeg 
trees. 

"Forward!"  cried  the  doctor.  "Double  quick,  my  lads. 
We  must  head  'em  off  the  boats." 

And  we  set  off  at  a  great  pace,  sometimes  plunging  through 
the  bushes  to  the  chest. 

I  tell  you,  but  Silver  was  anxious  to  keep  up  with  us. 
The  work  that  man  went  through,  leaping  on  his  crutch  till 
the  muscles  of  his  chest  were  fit  to  burst,  was  work  no  sound 
man  ever  equalled;  and  so  thinks  the  doctor.  As  it  was,  he 
was  already  thirty  yards  behind  us,  and  on  the  verge  of  stran- 
gling, when  we  reached  the  brow  of  the  slope. 

"Doctor,"  he  hailed,  "see  there!  no  hurry!" 

Sure  enough  there  was  no  hurry.  In  a  more  open  part 
of  the  plateau,  we  could  see  the  three  survivors  still  running 
in  the  same  direction  as  they  had  started,  right  for  Mizzen- 
mast  Hill.  We  were  already  between  them  and  the  boats; 

[261] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

and  so  we  four  sat  down  to  breathe,  while  Long  John,  mop- 
ping his  face,  came  slowly  up  with  us. 

"Thank  ye  kindly,  doctor/'  says  he.  "You  came  in  in 
about  the  nick,  I  guess,  for  me  and  Hawkins.  And  so  it 's 
you,  Ben  Gunn!"  he  added.  "Well,  you're  a  nice  one,  to 
be  sure." 

"I  'm  Ben  Gunn,  I  am,"  replied  the  maroon,  wriggling 
like  an  eel  in  his  embarrassment.  "And,"  he  added,  after 
a  long  pause,  "how  do,  Mr.  Silver?  Pretty  well,  I  thank 
ye,  says  you." 

"Ben,  Ben,"  murmured  Silver,  "to  think  as  you  've  done 
me!" 

The  doctor  sent  back  Gray  for  one  of  the  pickaxes, 
deserted,  in  their  flight,  by  the  mutineers;  and  then  as  we 
proceeded  leisurely  down-hill  to  where  the  boats  were  lying, 
related,  in  a  few  words,  what  had  taken  place.  It  was  a 
story  that  profoundly  interested  Silver;  and  Ben  Gunn,  the 
half-idiot  maroon,  was  the  hero  from  beginning  to  end. 

Ben,  in  his  long,  lonely  wanderings  about  the  island,  had 
found  the  skeleton  —  it  was  he  that  had  rifled  it ;  he  had 
found  the  treasure;  he  had  dug  it  up  (it  was  the  haft  of  his 
pickaxe  that  lay  broken  in  the  excavation);  he  had  carried 
it  on  his  back,  in  many  weary  journeys,  from  the  foot  of  the 
tall  pine  to  a  cave  he  had  on  the  two-pointed  hill  at  the  north- 
east angle  of  the  island,  and  there  it  had  lain  stored  in  safety 
since  two  months  before  the  arrival  of  the  Hispaniola. 

When  the  doctor  had  wormed  this  secret  from  him,  on 
the  afternoon  of  the  attack,  and  when,  next  morning,  he 
saw  the  anchorage  deserted,  he  had  gone  to  Silver,  given 

[262  ] 


THE   FALL   OF  A   CHIEFTAIN 

him  the  chart,  which  was  now  useless  —  given  him  the  stores, 
for  Ben  Gunn's  cave  was  well  supplied  with  goats*  meat 
salted  by  himself  —  given  anything  and  everything  to  get  a 
chance  of  moving  in  safety  from  the  stockade  to  the  two- 
pointed  hill,  there  to  be  clear  of  malaria  and  keep  a  guard 
upon  the  money. 

"As  for  you,  Jim,"  he  said,  "it  went  against  my  heart, 
but  I  did  what  I  thought  best  for  those  who  had  stood  by  their 
duty;  and  if  you  were  not  one  of  these,  whose  fault  was  it?" 

That  morning,  finding  that  I  was  to  be  involved  in  the 
horrid  disappointment  he  had  prepared  for  the  mutineers,  he 
had  run  all  the  way  to  the  cave,  and,  leaving  the  squire  to 
guard  the  captain,  had  taken  Gray  and  the  maroon,  and 
started,  making  the  diagonal  across  the  island,  to  be  at  hand 
beside  the  pine.  Soon,  however,  he  saw  that  our  party  had 
the  start  of  him;  and  Ben  Gunn,  being  fleet  of  foot,  had 
been  despatched  in  front  to  do  his  best  alone.  Then  it  had 
occurred  to  him  to  work  upon  the  superstitions  of  his  former 
shipmates;  and  he  was  so  far  successful  that  Gray  and  the 
doctor  had  come  up  and  were  already  ambushed  before  the 
arrival  of  the  treasure-hunters. 

"Ah,"  said  Silver,  "it  were  fortunate  for  me  that  I  had 
Hawkins  here.  You  would  have  let  old  John  be  cut  to  bits, 
and  never  given  it  a  thought,  doctor." 

"Not  a  thought,"  replied  Dr.  Livesey,  cheerily. 

And  by  this  time  we  had  reached  the  gigs.  The  doctor, 
with  a  pickaxe,  demolished  one  of  them,  and  then  we  all  got 
aboard  the  other,  and  set  out  to  go  round  by  sea  for  North 
Inlet. 

[  263  ] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

This  was  a  run  of  eight  or  nine  miles.  Silver,  though  he 
was  almost  killed  already  with  fatigue,  was  set  to  an  oar, 
like  the  rest  of  us,  and  we  were  soon  skimming  swiftly  over  a 
smooth  sea.  Soon  we  passed  out  of  the  straits  and  doubled 
the  south-east  corner  of  the  island,  round  which,  four  days 
ago,  we  had  towed  the  Hispaniola. 

As  we  passed  the  two-pointed  hill,  we  could  see  the  black 
mouth  of  Ben  Gunn's  cave,  and  a  figure  standing  by  it,  lean- 
ing on  a  musket.  It  was  the  squire;  and  we  waved  a  hand- 
kerchief and  gave  him  three  cheers,  in  which  the  voice  of 
Silver  joined  as  heartily  as  any. 

Three  miles  farther,  just  inside  the  mouth  of  North  Inlet, 
what  should  we  meet  but  the  Hispaniola,  cruising  by  herself  ? 
The  last  flood  had  lifted  her;  and  had  there  been  much  wind, 
or  a  strong  tide  current,  as  in  the  southern  anchorage,  we 
should  never  have  found  her  more,  or  found  her  stranded  be- 
yond help.  As  it  was,  there  was  little  amiss,  beyond  the 
wreck  of  the  main-sail.  Another  anchor  was  got  ready,  and 
dropped  in  a  fathom  and  a  half  of  water.  We  all  pulled  round 
again  to  Rum  Cove,  the  nearest  point  for  Ben  Gunn's  treasure- 
house;  and  then  Gray,  single-handed,  returned  with  the  gig  to 
the  Hispaniola,  where  he  was  to  pass  the  night  on  guard. 

A  gentle  slope  ran  up  from  the  beach  to  the  entrance  of 
the  cave.  At  the  top,  the  squire  met  us.  To  me  he  was 
cordial  and  kind,  saying  nothing  of  my  escapade,  either  in 
the  way  of  blame  or  praise.  At  Silver's  polite  salute  he 
somewhat  flushed. 

"John  Silver,"  he  said,  "you  're  a  prodigious  villain  and 
impostor  —  a  monstrous  impostor,  sir.  I  am  told  I  am  not 

[264] 


THE   FALL  OF  A   CHIEFTAIN 

to  prosecute  you.  Well,  then,  I  will  not.  But  the  dead  men, 
sir,  hang  about  your  neck  like  millstones." 

"Thank  you  kindly,  sir,"  replied  Long  John,  again 
saluting. 

"I  dare  you  to  thank  me!"  cried  the  squire.  "It  is  a 
gross  dereliction  of  my  duty.  Stand  back." 

And  thereupon  we  all  entered  the  cave.  It  was  a  large, 
airy  place,  with  a  little  spring  and  a  pool  of  clear  water,  over- 
hung with  ferns.  The  floor  was  sand.  Before  a  big  fire  lay 
Captain  Smollett;  and  in  a  far  corner,  only  duskily  flickered 
over  by  the  blaze,  I  beheld  great  heaps  of  coin  and  quadri- 
laterals built  of  bars  of  gold.  That  was  Flint's  treasure  that 
we  had  come  so  far  to  seek,  and  that  had  cost  already  the 
lives  of  seventeen  men  from  the  Hispaniola.  How  many  it 
had  cost  in  the  amassing,  what  blood  and  sorrow,  what  good 
ships  scuttled  on  the  deep,  what  brave  men  walking  the 
plank  blindfold,  what  shot  of  cannon,  what  shame  and  lies 
and  cruelty,  perhaps  no  man  alive  could  tell.  Yet  there  were 
still  three  upon  that  island  —  Silver,  and  old  Morgan,  and 
Ben  Gunn  —  who  had  each  taken  his  share  in  these  crimes, 
as  each  had  hoped  in  vain  to  share  in  the  reward. 

"Come  in,  Jim,"  said  the  captain.  "You  're  a  good  boy 
in  your  line,  Jim;  but  I  don't  think  you  and  me  '11  go  to  sea 
again.  You  're  too  much  of  the  born  favourite  for  me.  Is 
that  you,  John  Silver?  What  brings  you  here,  man?" 

"Come  back  to  my  dooty,  sir,"  returned  Silver. 

"Ah!"   said  the  captain;   and  that  was  all  he  said. 

What  a  supper  I  had  of  it  that  night,  with  all  my  friends 
around  me;  and  what  a  meal  it  was,  with  Ben  Gunn's  salted 

[265] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

goat,  and  some  delicacies  and  a  bottle  of  old  wine  from  the 
Hispaniola.  Never,  I  am  sure,  were  people  gayer  or  happier. 
And  there  was  Silver,  sitting  back  almost  out  of  the  firelight, 
but  eating  heartily,  prompt  to  spring  forward  when  anything 
was  wanted,  even  joining  quietly  in  our  laughter  —  the  same 
bland,  polite,  obsequious  seaman  of  the  voyage  out. 


[266] 


CHAPTEK  XXXIY 
AND  LAST 

THE  next  morning  we  fell  early  to  work,  for  the  trans- 
portation of  this  great  mass  of  gold  near  a  mile  by 
land  to  the  beach,  and  thence  three  miles  by  boat  to 
the  Hispaniola,  was  a  considerable  task  for  so  small  a  number 
of  workmen.     The  three  fellows  still  abroad  upon  the  island 
did  not  greatly  trouble  us;  a  single  sentry  on  the  shoulder  of 
the  hill  was  sufficient  to  insure  us  against  any  sudden  on- 
slaught, and  we  thought,  besides,  they  had  had  more  than 
enough  of  fighting. 

Therefore  the  work  was  pushed  on  briskly.  Gray  and 
Ben  Gunn  came  and  went  with  the  boat,  while  the  rest,  dur- 
ing their  absences,  piled  treasure  on  the  beach.  Two  of  the 
bars,  slung  in  a  rope's-end,  made  a  good  load  for  a  grown 
man  —  one  that  he  was  glad  to  walk  slowly  with.  For  my 
part,  as  I  was  not  much  use  at  carrying,  I  was  kept  busy 
all  day  in  the  cave,  packing  the  minted  money  into  bread- 
bags. 

It  was  a  strange  collection,  like  Billy  Bones's  hoard  for  the 
diversity  of  coinage,  but  so  much  larger  and  so  much  more 
varied  that  I  think  I  never  had  more  pleasure  than  in  sorting 
them.  English,  French,  Spanish,  Portuguese,  Georges,  and 
Louises,  doubloons  and  double  guineas  and  moidores  and  se- 

[267] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

quins,  the  pictures  of  all  the  kings  of  Europe  for  the  last  hun- 
dred years,  strange  Oriental  pieces  stamped  with  what  looked 
like  wisps  of  string  or  bits  of  spider's  web,  round  pieces  and 
square  pieces,  and  pieces  bored  through  the  middle,  as  if  to 
wear  them  round  your  neck  —  nearly  every  variety  of  money 
in  the  world  must,  I  think,  have  found  a  place  in  that  col- 
lection; and  for  number,  I  am  sure  they  were  like  autumn 
leaves,  so  that  my  back  ached  with  stooping  and  my  fingers 
with  sorting  them  out. 

Day  after  day  this  work  went  on;  by  every  evening  a  for- 
tune had  been  stowed  aboard,  but  there  was  another  fortune 
waiting  for  the  morrow;  and  all  this  time  we  heard  nothing 
of  the  three  surviving  mutineers. 

At  last  —  I  think  it  was  on  the  third  night  —  the  doctor 
and  I  were  strolling  on  the  shoulder  of  the  hill  where  it  over- 
looks the  lowlands  of  the  isle,  when,  from  out  the  thick  dark- 
ness below,  the  wind  brought  us  a  noise  between  shrieking 
and  singing.  It  was  only  a  snatch  that  reached  our  ears,  fol- 
lowed by  the  former  silence. 

"Heaven  forgive  them,"  said  the  doctor,  "'tis  the  muti- 
neers!" 

"All  drunk,  sir,"  struck  in  the  voice  of  Silver  from  behind 
us. 

Silver,  I  should  say,  was  allowed  his  entire  liberty,  and, 
in  spite  of  daily  rebuffs,  seemed  to  regard  himself  once  more 
as  quite  a  privileged  and  friendly  dependant.  Indeed,  it  was 
remarkable  how  well  he  bore  these  slights,  and  with  w^hat 
unwearying  politeness  he  kept  on  trying  to  ingratiate  himself 
with  all.  Yet,  I  think,  none  treated  him  better  than  a  dog; 

[268  ] 


AND   LAST 

unless  it  was  Ben  Gunn,  who  was  still  terribly  afraid  of  his 
old  quartermaster,  or  myself,  who  had  really  something  to 
thank  him  for;  although  for  that  matter,  I  suppose,  I  had 
reason  to  think  even  worse  of  him  than  anybody  else,  for  I 
had  seen  him  meditating  a  fresh  treachery  upon  the  plateau. 
Accordingly,  it  was  pretty  gruffly  that  the  doctor  answered 
him. 

"Drunk  or  raving,"  said  he. 

"Right  you  were,  sir,"  replied  Silver;  "and  precious  little 
odds  which,  to  you  and  me." 

"I  suppose  you  would  hardly 'ask  me  to  call  you  a  humane 
man,"  returned  the  doctor,  with  a  sneer,  "and  so  my  feelings 
may  surprise  you,  Master  Silver.  But  if  I  were  sure  they 
were  raving  —  as  I  am  morally  certain  one,  at  least,  of  them 
is  down  with  fever  —  I  should  leave  this  camp,  and,  at  what- 
ever risk  to  my  own  carcass,  take  them  the  assistance  of  my 
skill." 

"Ask  your  pardon,  sir,  you  would  be  very  wrong,"  quoth 
Silver.  "You  would  lose  your  precious  life,  and  you  may 
lay  to  that.  I  'm  on  your  side  now,  hand  and  glove;  and  I 
shouldn't  wish  for  to  see  the  party  weakened,  let  alone  your- 
self, seeing  as  I  know  what  I  owes  you.  But  these  men 
down  there,  they  couldn't  keep  their  word  —  no,  not  suppo- 
sing they  wished  to ;  and  what 's  more,  they  couldn't  believe 
as  you  could." 

"No,"  said  the  doctor.     "You  're   the  man  to  keep  your 
word,  we  know  that." 

Well,  that  was  about  the  last  news  we  had  of  the  three 
pirates.  Only  once  we  heard  a  gunshot  a  great  way  off, 

[269  ] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

and  supposed  them  to  be  hunting.  A  council  was  held,  and 
it  was  decided  that  we  must  desert  them  on  the  island  - 
to  the  huge  glee,  I  must  say,  of  Ben  Gunn,  and  with  the 
strong  approval  of  Gray.  We  left  a  good  stock  of  powder 
and  shot,  the  bulk  of  the  salt  goat,  a  few  medicines,  and  some 
other  necessaries,  tools,  clothing,  a  spare  sail,  a  fathom  or 
two  of  rope,  and,  by  the  particular  desire  of  the  doctor,  a 
handsome  present  of  tobacco. 

That  was  about  our  last  doing  on  the  island.  Before  that, 
we  had  got  the  treasure  stowed,  and  had  shipped  enough 
water  and  the  remainder  of  the  goat  meat,  in  case  of  any  dis- 
tress; and  at  last,  one  fine  morning,  we  weighed  anchor, 
which  was  about  all  that  we  could  manage,  and  stood  out  of 
North  Inlet,  the  same  colours  flying  that  the  captain  had 
flown  and  fought  under  at  the  palisade. 

The  three  fellows  must  have  been  watching  us  closer  than 
we  thought  for,  as  we  soon  had  proved.  For,  coming  through 
the  narrows,  we  had  to  lie  very  near  the  southern  point,  and 
there  we  saw  all  three  of  them  kneeling  together  on  a  spit  of 
sand,  with  their  arms  raised  in  supplication.  It  went  to  all 
our  hearts,  I  think,  to  leave  them  in  that  wretched  state; 
but  we  could  not  risk  another  mutiny;  and  to  take  them 
home  for  the  gibbet  would  have  been  a  cruel  sort  of  kindness. 
The  doctor  hailed  them  and  told  them  of  the  stores  we  had 
left,  and  where  they  were  to  find  them.  But  they  continued 
to  call  us  by  name,  and  appeal  to  us,  for  God's  sake,  to  be 
merciful,  and  not  leave  them  to  die  in  such  a  place. 

At  last,  seeing  the  ship  still  bore  on  her  course,  and  was 
now  swiftly  drawing  out  of  earshot,  one  of  them  —  I  know 

[270] 


AND   LAST 

not  which  it  was  —  leapt  to  his  feet  with  a  hoarse  cry,  whipped 
his  musket  to  his  shoulder,  and  sent  a  shot  whistling  over 
Silver's  head  and  through  the  main-sail. 

After  that,  we  kept  under  cover  of  the  bulwarks,  and  when 
next  I  looked  out  they  had  disappeared  from  the  spit,  and  the 
spit  itself  had  almost  melted  out  of  sight  in  the  growing  dis- 
tance. That  was,  at  least,  the  end  of  that;  and  before  noon, 
to  my  inexpressible  joy,  the  highest  rock  of  Treasure  Island 
had  sunk  into  the  blue  round  of  sea. 

We  were  so  short  of  men,  that  every  one  on  board  had  to 
bear  a  hand  —  only  the  captain  lying  on  a  mattress  in  the 
stern  and  giving  his  orders ;  for,  though  greatly  recovered,  he 
was  still  in  want  of  quiet.  We  laid  her  head  for  the  nearest 
port  in  Spanish  America,  for  we  could  not  risk  the  voyage 
home  without  fresh  hands;  and  as  it  was,  what  with  baffling 
winds  and  a  couple  of  fresh  gales,  we  were  all  worn  out  before 
we  reached  it. 

It  was  just  at  sundown  when  we  cast  anchor  in  a  most 
beautiful  land-locked  gulf,  and  were  immediately  surrounded 
by  shore  boats  full  of  negroes,  and  Mexican  Indians,  and 
half-bloods,  selling  fruits  and  vegetables,  and  offering  to 
dive  for  bits  of  money.  The  sight  of  so  many  good-humoured 
faces  (especially  the  blacks),  the  taste  of  the  tropical  fruits, 
and,  above  all,  the  lights  that  began  to  shine  in  the  town, 
made  a  most  charming  contrast  to  our  dark  and  bloody 
sojourn  on  the  island;  and  the  doctor  and  the  squire,  taking 
me  along  with  them,  went  ashore  to  pass  the  early  part  of 
the  night.  Here  they  met  the  captain  of  an  English  man-of- 
war,  fell  in  talk  with  him,  went  on  board  his  ship,  and,  in 

[271] 


TREASURE  ISLAND 

short,  had  so  agreeable  a  time,  that  day  was  breaking  when 
we  came  alongside  the  Hispaniola. 

Ben  Gunn  was  on  deck  alone,  and,  as  soon  as  we  came  on 
board,  he  began,  with  wonderful  contortions,  to  make  us  a 
confession.  Silver  was  gone.  The  maroon  had  connived  at 
his  escape  in  a  shore  boat  some  hours  ago,  and  he  now  as- 
sured us  he  had  only  done  so  to  preserve  our  lives,  which 
would  certainly  have  been  forfeit  if  "that  man  with  the  one 
leg  had  stayed  aboard."  But  this  was  not  all.  The  sea-cook 
had  not  gone  empty-handed.  He  had  cut  through  a  bulk-» 
head  unobserved,  and  had  removed  one  of  the  sacks  of  coin, 
worth,  perhaps,  three  or  four  hundred  guineas,  to  help  him 
on  his  further  wanderings. 

I  think  we  were  all  pleased  to  be  so  cheaply  quit  of  him. 

Well,  to  made  a  long  story  short,  we  got  a  few  hands  on 
board,  made  a  good  cruise  home,  and  the  Hispaniola  reached 
Bristol  just  as  Mr.  Blandly  was  beginning  to  think  of  fitting 
out  her  consort.  Five  men  only  of  those  who  had  sailed  re- 
turned with  her.  "Drink  and  the  devil  had  done  for  the 
rest,"  with  a  vengeance;  although,  to  be  sure,  we  were  not 
quite  in  so  bad  a  case  as  that  other  ship  they  sang  about: 

"  With  one  man  of  her  crew  alive, 
What  put  to  sea  with  seventy-five." 

All  of  us  had  an  ample  share  of  the  treasure,  and  used 
it  wisely  or  foolishly,  according  to  our  natures.  Captain 
Smollett  is  now  retired  from  the  sea.  Gray  not  only  saved 
his  money,  but,  being  suddenly  smit  with  the  desire  to  rise, 
also  studied  his  profession;  and  he  is  now  mate  and  part 

[272] 


AND   LAST 

owner  of  a  fine  full-rigged  ship;  married  besides,  and  the 
father  of  a  family.  As  for  Ben  Gunn,  he  got  a  thousand 
pounds,  which  he  spent  or  lost  in  three  weeks,  or,  to  be 
more  exact,  in  nineteen  days,  for  he  was  back  begging  on 
the  twentieth.  Then  he  was  given  a  lodge  to  keep,  exactly 
as  he  had  feared  upon  the  island;  and  he  still  lives,  a  great 
favourite,  though  something  of  a  butt,  with  the  country  boys, 
and  a  notable  singer  in  church  on  Sundays  and  saints'  days. 

Of  Silver  we  have  heard  no  more.  That  formidable  sea- 
faring man  with  one  leg  has  at  last  gone  clean  out  of  my 
life;  but  I  dare  say  he  met  his  old  negress,  and  perhaps  still 
lives  in  comfort  with  her  and  Captain  Flint.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  so,  I  suppose,  for  his  chances  of  comfort  in  another 
world  are  very  small. 

The  bar  silver  and  the  arms  still  lie,  for  all  that  I  know, 
where  Flint  buried  them;  and  certainly  they  shall  lie  there 
for  me.  Oxen  and  wain-ropes  would  not  bring  me  back 
again  to  that  accursed  island;  and  the  worst  dreams  that 
ever  I  have  are  when  I  hear  the  surf  booming  about  its 
coasts,  or  start  upright  in  bed,  with  the  sharp  voice  of  Cap- 
tain Flint  still  ringing  in  my  ears:  "Pieces  of  eight!  pieces 
of  eight!" 


[  273  ] 


_^^^^^__^^_^_^^^_    ?^^—               <^^^^^^^^^^ 

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Los  Angeles 

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